Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin wondered what will be future of ODIs after the retirement of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The duo are at the fag end of their illustrious career and are in all likeliness to bring the curtains down on their careers after the 2027 ODI World Cup. Rohit and Kohli were last seen in action during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26 where they featured in two games each for Mumbai and Delhi.
What happens to ODIs after Ro-Ko retire?
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin pointed out that people started following VHT after Rohit and Kohli returned, and noted that their participation is requirement to make the tournament relevant. The former Indian cricketer claimed that while Test cricket will continue to thrive amid the T20 craze, there could be no space for ODIs in the future, especially after the World Cup in 2027.
“Look, Rohit and Virat came back to Vijay Hazare Trophy and people started watching it. We have known that sport is always bigger than individuals but at times these players (Ro-Ko) need to come back to make the game relevant. Vijay Hazare Trophy (national one-dayers), of course, is a domestic competition that not a lot of people follow, but they did (so now) because Virat and Rohit were playing. Even then, what happens when they stop playing ODIs?,” Ashwin said.
Rohit and Virat are active only in ODIs having retired from T20Is in 2024 and Tests in 2025. The duo have been in red-hot form off late, delivering sensational performances in the series against Australia and South Africa. Ro-Ko have so far proved chief selector Ajit Agarkar wrong after he claimed that they were non-committal for the World Cup in 2027 and have shown that their form is least impacted by the fact that they are active in just one format.
Further, Ashwin urged the ICC to rethink its approach on ODIs, noting that the format had become redundant and that a World Cup was being held every year simply for revenue generation.
“The ODI format has become redundant and to top it, ICC needs to see how they are conducting these World Cups. Every year, there is an ICC tournament for revenue generation pattern, but then look at how FIFA is doing it. If you really want to make ODI cricket relevant, then just play these leagues and play ODI World Cup once in four years, so when people turn up for events, there will be sense of expectation,” Ashwin added.
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