Vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Rajeev Shukla rejected conjecture that the upcoming ODI series against Australia would spot the last international appearance of batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, expressing that the decision to retire lies simply with the players. Rajeev Shukla was talking to ANI after India won a series over West Indies at Arun Jaitley Stadium by beating the visitors by seven wickets in the second Test.
While keeping the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 in the mind, Rohit and Virat have been chosen for Australia tour, the promotion of Shubman Gill to ODI leadership and presence of players like Abhishek Sharma,Tilak Varma and Prabhsimran Singh in the current India A series versus Australia at home have lifted eyebrows over the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Ro-Ko), who would be 40 years and 39 years respectively when the World Cup tournament comes in 2027.
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Rajeev Shukla told, “This is very beneficial for us (Rohit and Virat being in the ODI squad). Because both of them are great batsmen,and in the presence of both of them, I think we will be successful in defeating Australia.”
“And as far as this being their last series is concerned, it is nothing like that.We should never go into these things. It is up to the players when they would retire. To say this would be their last series is absolutely wrong,” Shukla added.
With 11,168 runs in 273 matches, Rohit Sharma is fourth-highest run-getter of India in ODIs, averaging 48.76, which included 32 centuries, 58 fifties, and a best score of 264. In the eight ODIs, this year, Rohit Sharma has scored 302 runs with an average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 108.24, with a century and fifty each and a best score of 119.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli is second-highest run-getter of India in ODIs, with 14,181 runs in 302 matches and 290 innings with an average of 57.88, a strike rate of over 93, with 51 centuries and 74 half-centuries. Virat Kohli’s best score is 183. This year, in seven ODIs Virat Kohli has made 275 runs in seven innings with a century and two fifties and an average of 45.83 and a best score of 100*.
After retired from Tests and T20Is, now both Rohit and Virat being exclusively ODI players.
