BCCI breaks silence on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s ODI future

India's Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)

Greenstone Lobo predicts Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma's ODI future

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Poll Do you believe Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should continue playing ODIs until the 2027 World Cup? Yes, they should play. No, it's time to retire. Only if they are performing well.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI ) is in no rush to make decisions about the ODI futures of cricket stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma , despite ongoing speculation. The matter has gained attention as India's next ODI series against Australia approaches in October, with questions arising about whether the duo, who have collectively scored 83 ODI hundreds and over 25,000 runs, can continue playing until the 2027 ODI World Cup.India's scheduled ODI series against Bangladesh in August has been canceled, making the Australia series from October 19-25 their next one-day international commitment.The age factor has become a significant talking point, as Kohli and Rohit would be 39 and 40 years old respectively by the 2027 ODI World Cup."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 on conditions of anonymity.The BCCI is known for its measured approach to sensitive decisions, particularly considering the massive fan following of both players.The last tournament featuring both players was the Champions Trophy in Dubai, where Kohli scored a century against Pakistan in a group stage match, and Rohit contributed with a crucial half-century in the final.Neither player has participated in competitive cricket since the Indian Premier League concluded.Kohli, now residing in London, has shown signs of returning to training, posting an Instagram story of an indoor nets session.Rohit, who was also in the UK post-IPL, has returned to Mumbai and is expected to begin training soon.While some media outlets have reported about BCCI potentially offering the duo a farewell game in Sydney on October 25, the BCCI source indicated no such discussions have taken place yet."Even if they play Vijay Hazare, before that there would already be six ODIs that will be played. In between the Australia ODIs and the South Africa ODIs, there is an India A series against South Africa A where three List A games (50 overs) will be held at Rajkot on November 13, 16 and 19 respectively.""Now, will the duo want to play those three A games, or possibly two, before the South Africa series is the question. Even more important is whether Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues would want that," the source added.The national One-Day Championship, Vijay Hazare Trophy, is scheduled to begin on December 24, 2025, preceded by a three-match ODI series against South Africa starting November 30."Overlapping the Vijay Hazare Trophy (December 24, 2025 - January 18, 2025) will be the three ODIs between India and New Zealand (January 11, 14, 18). So even if they play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, it can't be for more than two to three games," the source concluded.

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