In what could be a troubling development, veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are unlikely to take part in the India A series against South Africa which will precede the ODI series. The duo, who retired from Tests earlier this year, are only active in the ODI format and were last seen in action in the IND vs AUS series in October. It is pertinent to point out that reports had earlier claimed that Ro-Ko would have to participate in domestic and unofficial fixtures on order to stay in contention for spots in the Indian ODI side in the future.
No Ro-Ko for INDA vs SAA ODIs?
As per Cricbuzz, the national selectors are unlikely to include the veteran duo in the India A squad for the series against South Africa A. India A will play the three one-day games in Rajkot on November 13, 16 and 19. The report states that the selectors are expected to meet soon to decide on the squad for the two-match Test series against SA and that the India A squad for the ODIs against SAA could also be decided in the same meeting.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the India A squad in a day or two but it is learnt that the selectors have some plans for the three matches, and they are not likely to draft the two veterans for these games,” the report stated.
After retiring from T20Is following the World Cup win in 2024, Rohit and Virat decided to abruptly depart from Tests as well just before the IND vs ENG series. Ahead of the IND vs AUS ODI series, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had claimed that the duo were non-committal to playing in the 2027 World Cup, casting aspersions on their future in the ODI setup.
While Kohli registered back-o-back ducks for the first time against Australia before he bounced back with an unbeaten 74-run knock in the IND vs AUS 3rd ODI, Rohit showed that he’s still got it. After being dismissed for just 8 runs in the 1st ODI, he followed it up with knocks of 73 and a match-winning 121-run knock in the 3rd ODI.
