Indian national cricket team’s top spinner Zaheer Khan has taken a dig at Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli by sharing his honest views on the much-debated impact player rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

There have been calls for the scrapping of the Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as many pundits have felt that it is unfair to bowlers and hampers the development of all-rounders in Indian cricket.

Players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also do not like the impact player rule and have expressed their concerns about it. The current India captain said that the addition of the 12th player does not allow players like Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is not good for Indian cricket.

Kohli, on the other hand, said that the implementation of the Impact Player rule has led to bowlers being hit and has removed the balance between bat and ball.

However, not all cricketers and pundits are totally against the rule as people like Aakash Chopra and Ravichandran Ashwin have openly supported it and suggested the BCCI not to scrap it.

The latest pundit to share his views on the issue is the newly appointed mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants, Zaheer Khan. In an interaction with the media just after being officially appointed as the mentor of the franchise, Zaheer Khan said that he likes the rule as it provides opportunities to players who have not played in international matches to showcase their talent on the big stage.

“I will say publicly that I am in favour of it,” Zaheer said at a press conference in Kolkata. “It has definitely provided opportunities to a lot of Indian talents who are yet to have a title. That is something that will be seen in the big auction, when teams are considering them. That opportunity goes a long way in improving Indian cricket overall. The time spent in matches is something that cannot be beaten. That is the biggest advantage.”

When it comes to all-rounders, there is no room for a half-rounder at the moment – Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan further shared his strong views, saying that the impact player rule has no negative impact on the true all-rounders. He added that the all-rounders are the ones who make room for the Impact substitutes in the starting XI, but the true all-rounders still contribute well in every aspect.

“As far as all-rounders are concerned, there is no room for a half-baked all-rounder at the moment because of the impact. But if you are a true all-rounder, no one can stop you. There will always be added value with skill with the bat and ball.”

Meanwhile, Zaheer Khan has replaced Gautam Gambhir as the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants. He will now also oversee the franchise’s talent scouting and development programme.