Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar, India’s head coach and the chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, might not have the last word on the ODI future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, it is learnt. It would be about how the two titans of Indian cricket are planning their future, with an eye on the 2027 World Cup. According to a source in the know, the BCCI would like to hear from them, as a meeting is planned towards the end, or after the white-ball series against South Africa that starts on Sunday.
Gambhir and Agarkar are expected to be part of that meeting, but ultimately, it would be the BCCI’s call, as the 2027 World Cup is high on the cricket board’s agenda. Rohit and Kohli are still performing in the only format they play now. The former returned from the three ODIs in Australia as the Player of the Series on the back of a half-century and an unbeaten hundred. Kohli, too, made 74 not out off 81 balls in the final ODI in Sydney after back-to-back ducks in Perth and Adelaide.
The real bone of contention could be the domestic cricket factor. Rohit is said to be inclined to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai. As far as Kohli is concerned, there’s no clarity as yet. The two former India captains have 581 matches, 25,625 runs and 84 centuries between them in the 50-over format. Whether the strict domestic cricket marker laid down by the chief selector, in conjunction with the head coach, should apply to Rohit and Kohli also needs to be discussed as well.
The BCCI doesn’t interfere in direct cricket matters, but this is a policy decision. There’s a feeling within the Board that the Test transition could have been handled better. The departures of Rohit, Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin at the same time have affected the team in terms of losing experience. Earlier, transitions used to be a gradual process. For example, when Cheteshwar Pujara came to the Test fold, Rahul Dravid was there to guide him before passing the baton. The same thing happened with a young Kohli, with Sachin Tendulkar motherhenning him during his bedding-in period.
There’s a school of thought that the ODI squad needs the guidance of the two greats, going into the next 50-over World Cup and also that Rohit and Kohli know enough about their preparations before an international assignment. It is learnt that before the series Down Under, the selection committee and the team management were iffy about the preparations of the two veterans, given that they didn’t play any cricket for more than four months. They wanted Rohit and Kohli to feature in limited-overs ‘A’ series against Australia. But the players were said to be not too keen.
At the team selection press conference for the Australia tour, Agarkar had said: “Yeah, I think we have made it clear a couple of years back now that whenever the guys are available, they should be playing domestic cricket. That’s the only way you will keep yourself sharp if you have got a long enough break. Whether that’s possible with international cricket, if you are playing or not, that only time will tell. But if guys are free, they should be playing domestic cricket.”
He also namechecked Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma, suggesting that the two youngsters were ready. The fact of the matter is that, in the case of Rohit and Kohli, it’s not only about the runs, that they performed well in Australia despite going there undercooked. It’s also about their involvement in the team and their influence on the younger players. Every Indian team practice session before an ODI serves as an example of how the youngsters in the side turn to the two masters for advice — from Harshit Rana to Tilak.
Rohit and Kohli have earned the right to be treated a little differently in terms of trusting their judgment, their plans for the future. On Saturday, before the ODI series opener against South Africa in Ranchi, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel was expectedly asked about the two, and the 2027 World Cup. “I feel that their bodies can do that,” said the former South Africa fast bowler.
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