Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are at the fag ends of their international careers. In the last 14 months, the modern greats have already hung up their boots in two of the three formats. Only one format remains, and it’s where both of them are at their best.
We saw just how good Rohit and Kohli are in 50-over cricket in the Champions Trophy earlier this year. They aren’t spring chickens anymore, but still, they are perhaps the best batters Team India has in ODI cricket at the moment.
However, they are 38 and 37. Irrespective of how good they are, they aren’t the future. So when we heard that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is discussing Rohit and Kohli’s future with respect to the ODI World Cup 2027, it made sense.
By the time the tournament begins, Rohit will be 40 and Kohli 39. The board wanted to test youngsters, given that about 25 months are still left to prepare for the ODI World Cup 2027. Then we heard that Rohit and Kohli might retire after the India vs Australia ODI series in October.
No call on Rohit-Kohli retirement yet
It turns out the latter isn’t correct. The BCCI is in no hurry to decide Rohit and Kohli’s future in ODIs. They will continue to back them if they continue to perform, much like what has happened in Test or T20I cricket. The board is currently focusing on the next ICC tournament and believes that if Rohit and Kohli want to retire, they’ll communicate that to them.
“Obviously, if they (Rohit and Kohli) have something in mind, they would tell the BCCI brass like they did before the England Test tour. But from an Indian team’s perspective, the next big assignment is the T20 World Cup in February and preparations before that. The immediate focus will be on sending the best team for the Asia Cup T20 tournament, hoping all players are fit and available,” a BCCI source told PTI.
Both haven’t played a cricket match since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 ended in early June. Kohli was recently spotted practicing at the Mighty Willow Academy in London under Gujarat Titans assistant coach Naeem Amin. As for Rohit, he recently returned home from his London vacation and is expected to start practicing soon.
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