Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are once again in the news, just a week after India’s Test series against England ended. Even though the series finished last Monday, talk about these two cricket stars hasn’t stopped — but not for good reasons.
People are wondering if the upcoming tour to Australia in October could be the last time we see Kohli and Rohit play for India. Many hope they will play in the 2027 World Cup, but since Kohli will be 39 and Rohit 40 by then, doubts are growing. Different news reports have been saying different things.
One report said that if Kohli and Rohit don’t play in the next Vijay Hazare Trophy (an Indian domestic tournament), their ODI (One Day International) careers might end after the Australia tour. Since they have already retired from Test cricket and T20 internationals, their remaining chances to play for India are only in ODIs and the IPL. To stay in good form, they need to keep playing regularly.
However, another report from PTI quoted a source who said there is no talk yet about this, and Kohli and Rohit’s future will only be decided after next year’s T20 World Cup, which is the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) main focus right now.
The discussion got louder when former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly commented on it. Another former BCCI selector, Devang Gandhi, also said that the board should prepare for a future without Kohli and Rohit. He believes many young players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Sai Sudharshan are ready to take over in ODIs.
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Gandhi said, “How can you keep talented players like Jaiswal, Pant, and Sudharshan out when they have shown great performance? The real challenge is moving players from T20 cricket to Test cricket. Once a player does well in Tests and also has power-hitting skills, they will do well in ODIs. It’s important for selectors and team management to decide the right time for this change.”
He also pointed out that India’s young players showed great strength in England. After Kohli and Rohit retired from Test cricket just days apart, many thought India would struggle. But the young players fought hard, and India managed to draw the series 2-2.
Gandhi said that Indian cricket has plenty of talent for ODIs, but if young players are not given chances at the right time, the team’s present and future might suffer.
He added, “If, in a year’s time, either Kohli or Rohit isn’t performing well and we need to replace them quickly, the team might not have enough time to prepare new players for such a big job. Kohli and Rohit have done a lot for Indian cricket, but time waits for no one.”
