Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have expressed their desire to assist India in winning the 2027 ODI World Cup. They retired from Test matches earlier this year and from Twenty20 Internationals in 2024. They have, nevertheless, recently produced some excellent ODI cricket performances.
After hitting a fifty and a hundred runs against Australia in October, Rohit was named the Player of the Series. During that tour, Kohli also scored a half-century. Kohli has scored consecutive hundreds in the current three-match ODI series against South Africa, and Rohit has also reached fifty.
In a recent interview, former India head coach Ravi Shastri cautioned critics of Rohit and Kohli as well as “certain people” not to tamper with players of such calibre.
“Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are ODI titans.” Speaking to Prabhat Khabar, Shastri stated, “You don’t mess around with players of that stature.”
Shastri, who has a strong bond with Rohit and Kohli, claimed that if the two former India captains find their rhythm, their detractors will quickly go.
“Some individuals are engaging in it. I’ll just say that. And if you turn these two on correctly and press the appropriate buttons, everyone who is tampering will quickly leave the scene,” Shastri stated.
If someone could read between the lines, it would be easy to figure out who Shastri is implying about, even if he didn’t take names.
Against the Proteas, Kohli has been at the top of his game. In the first ODI, he struck 135 off 120 balls, and in the second, he hit 102 off 93 deliveries. However, Rohit has thus far recorded scores of 14 and 57.
At 1-1, the three-match series is interestingly balanced. India successfully defended a 350-run goal and won the first game by 17 runs. But with four wickets and as many balls remaining, the Proteas managed to chase down a 359-run goal in the second ODI.
The ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam will host the eagerly awaited third and final ODI on Saturday, December 6.
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