Why will Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma not feature in International cricket for next 5 months?

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are part of India vs New Zealand ODI series.

After their brilliant performances in the ODI series against Australia and South Africa last year, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma commenced their journey in 2026 with the campaign against New Zealand. Ahead of India’s tour of Australia 2025, Rohit was replaced by Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain of the Indian Cricket Team.

After getting demoted from the leadership role in the three-match series, Rohit rocked with the bat. With a half-century and a century in the last two matches against Australia, he was adjudged Player of the Series. With his century in the last ODI, he helped India to avoid a whitewash in the three-match series.

In November and December, Virat entertained fans with his performances in the ODI series against South Africa. Smacking two centuries and one half-century across three games, he helped the team to win the series 2-1. For his impeccable batting show, the 37-year-old was adjudged Player of the Series.

After finishing their international campaigns on a high note in 2025, Rohit and Kohli also grabbed the limelight with their performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26. Rohit and Virat hammered centuries for Mumbai and Delhi respectively in their opening games. Justifying their batting might to selectors, they were picked in the ODI squad against New Zealand.

Virat Kohli reached the top spot in ICC rankings for ODI batters amid India vs New Zealand series

While Rohit failed to make a mark in the three ODI games against New Zealand, Kohli grabbed the limelight with his batting show. The former failed to go big in all three games and could not even score a half-century in the series.

However, Kohli rocked the field with his match-winning fifty (93) in the first game, before getting out for 23 in the second game. In the last game, he hit a glorious century and finished as the highest run-scorer for the Men in Blue in the series, moving to the top spot in ICC rankings amid the campaign. Currently, he holds number two rank.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to miss five months of action in international cricket

Interestingly, fans will not be able to watch Rohit and Kohli in the Indian jersey for the next few months. Notably, the focus will shift to T20I cricket after the India vs New Zealand ODI series. After the third ODI game on January 18, both sides will clash in five T20I games in the last two weeks of January.

In February and March, Indian players will be busy in ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which will be followed by Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 from March to May. After a break of one month, India will tour England for a white-ball series in July, where both teams will square off in five T20Is and three ODIs.

The T20I series will be played first, followed by the ODI series with the opening game on July 14 in Birmingham. Hence, both Rohit and Virat do not have any national duty till July and they are set to miss more than five months of action in international cricket.

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