Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are arguably the best batters of the generation and hence there was a lot of debate around the time they announced their Test retirements just ahead of the England tour. While their retirements happened under suspicious circumstances – it was understood that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are eyeing the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – the two Indian stalwarts – have already bid adieu to Tests and T20Is with the hope that they can prolong their ODI careers. At this stage of their careers – Virat Kohli is 36 and Rohit, 38 – the 50-overs format is the best suited for them.
Having endured the heartbreak of the 2023 ODI World Cup up close and personal, Virat Kohli and Rohit, who are yet to win the 50-overs World Cup together, are eager to chase the ultimate glory in the 2027 World Cup, which can cap off a perfect, story-book ending for the two superstar batters.
Until a couple of days ago, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli looked certain to maintain their place in the ODI setup. However, according to a report in Dainik Jagran, the murmurs about their future have already gained steam. It stated that the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia in October might be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s swansongs in Indian cricket.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s stellar career in white ball cricket
In 273 ODIs, Rohit has scored 11,168 runs at an average of 48.76, including 32 centuries and 58 fifties. He also holds the unique record of scoring three double centuries in the format. Earlier this month, Rohit was present at The Oval to witness the fifth and final Test against England, which India won by six runs to level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2.
Rohit amassed 4,301 runs from 67 Tests at an average of 40.57, including hitting 12 centuries and 18 fifties. Rohit also led India in 24 Tests, winning 12 and losing nine games.
Rohit averaged a wonderful 42.81 in 66 innings as an opener in Tests, including hitting nine centuries and eight fifties. He also oversaw India becoming runners-up in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final after losing to Australia at The Oval. On the other hand Virat Kohli the GOAT in ODI Cricket has amassed 14181 runs at an average of 57.88 with 51 ODI centuries in 302 matches.
BCCI demand’s Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play Vijay Hazare Trophy to prove their relevance in white ball format
Virat Kohli last played a Vijay Hazare Trophy match for Delhi in February 2010 against Services. In that match against Gurgaon, he scored 16 runs while batting at number 5. Rohit Sharma’s last VHT game was much more recent than Virat Kohli’s – in 2018, when he scored 24 in the semi-final against Hyderabad for Mumbai.
The BCCI’s VHT demand could stem from its reprioritisation of domestic cricket. Earlier this year, after India’s 1-3 defeat against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the BCCI made it mandatory for all centrally-contracted players to be available for their states for domestic cricket in order to be available for national selection.
The Jagran report stated that the BCCI is focused on grooming young talent for the upcoming marquee 50-over tournament, with preparations already in full swing. If Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli indeed turn up, it’ll be nothing new. In January 2025, both players represented their state teams in the Ranji Trophy, following a BCCI mandate. The 10-point directive urged all players to return to domestic red-ball cricket to regain form.
Now, the BCCI is reportedly considering asking Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. But is this expectation realistic? What value would their participation in the 50-over competition bring, and how much game time could they gain?. Ahead of this murmurs, Former Indian women skipper Anjum Chopra has opened upon the topic believing that the form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will decide their ultimate future in ODI Cricket.
Anjum Chopra breaks silence on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s future in ODI World Cup 2027
Speculation around the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli before the 2027 World Cup has been growing. Addressing the rumours, Anjum Chopra remarked:
“Both of them are sitting at home for a while now and are away from the media and the cricketing world. So people are missing them a lot and talking about them. When they come on the ground, all these talks will go away. They will perform as they are two big players. I don’t think we should decide anything for them. When they play, then everybody watches,” she said on Crictoday’s YouTube channel.
When asked who stands taller as an IPL captain between MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, Anjum refused to draw comparisons:
“You don’t compare captaincy and eras ever. Because it is never the same for anyone. When we won the 1983 World Cup as well, when the team went, no one expected anything from them. When we won in 2011, no one knew that we would win. When we lost the final in 2023, to this date, we cannot believe the fact that why we lost and how we lost. And then we won in 2024,” she said.
Rohit and Kohli would be 40 and 38, respectively, by the time of the 2027 World Cup. The BCCI will have to judge whether they still provide enough value to the team to keep out promising youngsters. With the Asia Cup approaching in the T20I format, there is speculation that both senior stars could make their return to international cricket during the tour of Australia later this year, which includes three ODIs.
India’s 2025-26 ODI schedule includes nine ODIs (three away games against Australia and six home games against South Africa and New Zealand). However, the three matches against Australia and as many games against South Africa will wrap up even before the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 starts.
India and Australia will square off in October, while the Proteas will take on the hosts in a three-match series from November 30 to December 6. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will have six ODIs to prove their form and whether they have it in them to keep going in the 50-over format.
If the duo gets cracking along and shows no signs of slowing down in these six ODIs, then the Vijay Hazare Trophy argument becomes bogus. However, things get a little interesting if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma fail to get going and are asked to play the white-ball tournament after all.
After the series against South Africa, India’s next ODI assignment is against New Zealand, beginning January 11 next year. The Vijay Hazare Trophy is scheduled before it as the tournament will be played from 24 December to January 18. Mumbai are in Group C in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, while Delhi are in Group E. Seven group stage games are scheduled before the series against New Zealand begins on January 11, and this stage will conclude on January 8, 2026.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli can potentially play seven group stage matches of the VHT. However, this is not realistic as the squad for the New Zealand series is likely to be announced late December or early January. If they are named in the ODI squad, then all seven games go out of the equation. And if by any chance, they aren’t, then one doesn’t know whether Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma would see it fit to play the entire tournament to get back in the reckoning despite being world-beaters in the ODI format.
After the ODIs against New Zealand, India are slated to take on England in the three-match ODI series in July 2026. After the IPL, of course. Plenty can change in the next year or so, but as of now, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy seems bleak, considering their stature and the nature of India’s schedule.
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