Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s future under clouds! To be selected only based on merit going forward - Reports

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play the ODI series against Australia.

The future of the Indian legends in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli has become a hot topic in Indian cricket. This comes after Shubman Gill was appointed as ODI captain and the two senior veterans now will be there as specialist batters and will be treated equally to others. 

Having retired from T20Is and tests, Rohit and Kohli will return to action when India tours Australia for a three-match ODI series, starting on 19th October. The series now becomes extremely important for them as there have been a lot of rumours about their retirement. 

Both Rohit and Kohli recently expressed their desire to play ICC Cricket World Cup 2027. However, to keep their dream alive, they need to perform consistently now. As per a report in The Times of India, it is learned that a clear message has been sent to Rohit and Kohli regarding their ODI future.

The reports claimed that both Rohit and Kohli were selected for the Australia tour only because of their performances in ICC Champions Trophy 2025. And going forward, they will be selected on merit and current form.

“It has been a collective effort by Gambhir and Agarkar”- BCCI source on Rohit Sharma’s snub as ODI captain

The source close to the BCCI said that Shubman Gill’s appointment as ODI captain was a collective decision by Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar. While sharing his take on the same, he said:

“It has been a collective effort by Gambhir and Agarkar. They understand that it will be tough for both Rohit and Kohli to be at their peak after two years, given that they are in their late 30s,” 

“They didn’t want to be caught off guard if suddenly Rohit or Kohli’s form dipped. It would have created chaos in the leadership group. The duo announcing retirement from Tests days before the selection for the England tour was a case in point.”

Previously there were some reports which claimed that if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli want to play ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, they need to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. Everything now will depend on how the two will perform in Australia. Both would be keen to score runs and silence all their critics.

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