Rohit and Kohli – Of memories, nostalgia and current times

YouTube is one of the main sources to refresh some evocative memories from another time. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli wading through the last stretch of their respective illustrious careers, YouTube or some other source could be a medium to watch and rewatch some of their old heroics. Once upon a time, you might have ended up witnessing a hundred of either Kohli or Rohit live, and now it is time to rekindle those moments. It also tells us that we are living more on memories than live action in relation to Kohli and Rohit.

To some extent, that is how it felt when Rohit and Kohli were dismissed for 8 and 0 respectively in the first ODI of the series against Australia in Perth. In Rohit’s defence, he did get out to an excellent delivery that bounced extra and nipped off the seam. In his defence, he was also trying to counter movement by activating and releasing his back foot early in order to cover the off-stump and move forward. 

Meanwhile, Kohli wouldn’t exactly be pleased with his airy-fairy drive outside the off-stump. Probably there is a larger picture to look at with Kohli. In the recent past, he has rarely played strokes square and behind square on the off-side. With his scoring areas somewhat restricted, the pacers have tended to employ good length and back of a length deliveries in the channel outside off. Subsequently, push it further up to entice the big drive. And that is where his cover drive is coming under heavy scrutiny to score runs, especially in certain conditions. 

On a positive note, those issues of Kohli are related more to Test cricket. And you wouldn’t end up seeing too many decks with disconcerting bounce and consistent nip off the wicket in ODIs. 

There is one more question to answer. Can the experienced duo partake in the 2027 World Cup in South Africa? Here, the simple answer is that there is still enough time to go for the mega event to commence. And it may come down to whether Kohli and Rohit can play enough competitive games between internationals and keep themselves match fit. Sometimes, as a sportsperson gets older, it also becomes rather difficult to have conviction in your methods. While considering such factors, it is important to play enough matches in order to get the feel back. 

From a fan’s perspective, there is still some hope that Kohli and Rohit would play for a while longer in their most preferred format. And YouTube needn’t be the only go-to source to spool back in time and get nostalgic.