Former Indian opener Sadagoppan Ramesh hailed the legendary duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for their incredible batting in the opening ODI against South Africa in Ranchi. Coming off a match-winning partnership in the final ODI of the recent Australian tour, the veteran pair continued their domination.Kohli and Rohit added a crucial 136-run partnership for the second wicket after the early loss of Yashasvi Jaiswal, helping the hosts post a formidable 349/8 in 50 overs. While Kohli notched up his 52nd ODI century with his 120-ball 135, Rohit scored 57 off 51 deliveries.Talking about the duo's heroics with the bat on his Instagram handle, Ramesh said:"It's all action and no talk the way Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are batting in ODIs. These two don't deliver through words but with their actions. Once Rohit Sharma scored a century in the final ODI in Australia, everybody knew a Virat Kohli hundred was loading in the next series. The two centuries in India's last two ODIs have come from India's two best talents - Rohit and Virat."He continued:"It's imperative that Rohit and Virat play with joy the rest of their careers. And for Kohli it's like everyday morning he wakes up and asks if some record is on the way. Now he has become the highest centurion in a single format with 52. Likewise, Rohit for his part broke a record of his own by becoming the highest six-hitter in ODIs."Ramesh further expressed surprise over Rohit and Kohli's uncertain future, saying:"Whenever there have been questions over Rohit and Virat playing the 2027 World Cup, the doubters say Rohit will be 40 and Virat Kohli 39 then, so only performance will decide it despite these two having delivered so many performances in their careers."Meanwhile, the Indian bowlers ensured the duo's batting exploits did not go to waste as they completed a 17-run win over the Proteas in the series opener."Keep performance as the criteria for everyone" - Sadagoppan RameshSadagoppan Ramesh slammed the management for using different yardsticks for the younger players compared to legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The duo are India's second and third leading run-scorers in ODIs with over 14,000 and 11,000 runs, respectively.Kohli and Rohit retired from T20Is and Tests over the past year, continuing to play only the 50-over format."While performance as the yardstick is fine, in the same breath, if you ask the same questions about a youngster, they say he'll definitely play and even captain the side as he's a youngster. Which means for some players, age is the measuring stick but for legends like Rohit and Virat, it's performance. That is totally unfair. Keep performance as the criteria for everyone. If you do, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be at the top," said Ramesh (via the aforementioned source).Kohli and Rohit will be back in action in the second India-South Africa ODI in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3.