Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur has opined that the presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has a positive impact in Indian dressing room. Kohli and Rohit returned to action in the first ODI against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham as the visitors registered a six-wicket win on Tuesday.

Both Rohit and Kohli have all the experience under their belt and they play a key role in getting the best out of the young players. 

Meanwhile, Rohit was dismissed after scoring 11 runs, Kohli was sent back to pavilion after scoring five runs in the run-chase of 259. Rohit tried to play a big shot against Sam Curran but holed out to Harry Brook at mid-off whereas Kohli was plumbed in front of the wickets by Jofra Archer.

Shardul Thakur said on Sony Sports, “We heard Axar’s [Patel] interview. He said that whenever seniors are around in the dressing room, the players get a different kind of confidence. When it comes to longer formats of the game, be it Tests or ODIs, it is important to have the right mix of seniors and juniors. We have seen this in all the great teams. For juniors to excel, it is important for them to get proper guidance from seniors.

“With Virat and Rohit in the dressing room, the youngsters are expected to lift their game. And, as they say, you cannot buy experience in the supermarket. You only get it by spending years on the field. The kind of experience the team gets from Rohit and Kohli and the value they bring in the dressing room is unmatched,” the right-arm pacer went on to add.

According to reports, Indian team is trying to convince Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli about the rotation policy.

Sources told TOI, “The team management doesn’t want a situation where a senior player breaks down and there is no one ready with enough game time. The issue is that Rohit, Kohli and Rahul don’t play much of international white-ball cricket besides ODIs. Rohit may get a full run in England. If his form suffers here, he may not get that run in the following series.”

The second ODI between India and England will be played at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on Thursday.