Ever since Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from T20Is and Test cricket, there are only a handful of moments for the fans to catch a glimpse of the two modern greats playing on the field, especially in the Indian jersey. And while the Indian Premier League promises plenty of chances for fans to watch them in person, it just isn’t the same as watching them don the Indian blues and hit bowlers out of the park. Post the Champions Trophy, there was a gap of almost seven months where the Indian fans were deprived of Ro-Ko action, and the duo were deprived of game time.
Questions arose, “will the duo be able to display the same form as they did in the Champions Trophy?”, “will they continue playing till the 2027 ODI World Cup?”…and the answer from the Indian management always remained the same “2027 is far…we haven’t decided yet” as Guatam Gambhir too affirmed in Delhi, post the India vs West Indies 2nd Test and ahead of India’s white-ball tour of Australia. While the Indian think tank continued to dish out the same answer in almost every press conference, fans had made up their minds that the duo would continue till 2027. As pictures of Rohit’s leaner physique and videos of Kohli’s dashes between the wickets did the rounds on the internet, fans convinced themselves that the duo are going nowhere until they lift the World Cup silverware.
After a long wait, fans finally got to witness the duo on Indian soil again. In Ranchi, fan fever reached pitch high when the duo arrived in the city. The ticket sales went through the roof in the black market, with the cheapest tickets being sold for over INR 2000. The same ones that are either too high up or too square with the most comfortable of them all – the plastic seats. But none of that matters when the beloved duo is playing—no barricades or fences, or even the trenches between the field and the audience can keep the fans away.
And the cherry on top? The 136 runs partnership between Rohit and Kohli. From what Debasis Sen reported, who was present on the sidelines with his camera and lenses—even the singles that the two ran would invite the loudest cheers. This partnership was the duo’s first since 2020 and their eighth overall century partnership in ODIs at home. It’s extra special when you check the stats and realise that these are the most by a pair in India, including Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly and Tendulkar-Virender Sehwag.
In the end, that ODI in Ranchi felt like reassurance. Reassurance that the magic between Rohit and Kohli still exists. They might not be around forever, they are closer to the finish line than they are to where they started and fans know that. But while they’re still here, still running those hard singles and doubles, still raising their bats together, games like this will always feel special. As long as they play the ODI format, stadiums will fill, people will keep paying ridiculous black-market prices and holding onto every single run because watching Ro-Ko is more about nostalgia than it is about cricket.
