The dynamic duo of veteran Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are all set to make their way back into the India A Squad to feature in three unofficial ODIs against Australia A to prepare themselves for the upcoming white-ball tour to Australia.
Ever since Indian legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from the longest format of the game, and the Shubman Gill-led Indian side looked flawless despite the void of the two stars, several questions have been raised on their need in the Indian ODI team as well.
Even the rumours of retirement speculations circulated on social media. However, both Rohit and Virat have made their intentions clear to continue with the longer format of white-ball cricket.
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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to be picked for the India A team
The two biggest showmen of Indian cricket in modern times, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have almost drawn the curtains on their illustrious careers. They have announced retirements from T20Is as well as Test formats and have only considered playing the 50-over format.
Though form has never been a subject of query for the two cricketers, their increasing age would be a factor that could sabotage their hopes of playing in the ICC World Cup 2027.
Rohit Sharma has won the T20 World Cup (2024) and the ICC Champions Trophy (2025) and is just one step away from becoming the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to win all ICC limited-overs titles.
As per the latest reports suggested by the Hindustan Times, Kohli and Rohit are likely to be picked for the India A squad in the 50-over matches. The three unofficial ODIs will be played between India A and Australia A at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur on the 30th of September, the 3rd of October and the 5th of October, respectively.
Virat Kohli passed his fitness Test with flying colours
Having retired from the other two formats of the game, both these legendary cricketers last played for India in international cricket back in February during India’s victorious Champions Trophy campaign.
Rohit, the captain, led with a stunning 76 in the final, while Kohli, on the other hand, scored a century against Pakistan and a match-winning 84 against Australia. Due to their long absence from international cricket, the two players were asked to undergo fitness Tests at the BCCI CoE.
Rohit Sharma, who is known for his questionable fitness, took the Tests and was likely deemed match-fit by the BCCI report. On the other hand, Kohli has passed his tests with flying colours, also claiming a new record in the history of Yo-Yo tests.
However, since Kohli took these Tests in England, he is reported to travel to India this month and might undergo a round of fitness assessments in Bengaluru.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s undeniable brilliance against Australia in ODIs
The Indian team is to travel to Australia next month to feature in a 5-match T20I series, which will be followed by a 3-match ODI series as well, starting from the 19th of October. If they go on to feature for India, this would assist them in preparing for the series next month.
Rohit Sharma has amassed a great 2407 runs against Australia in 46 ODIs, while Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has scored a total of 2451 runs in 50 ODI matches. The record of the two veterans against the six-time World Champions seems incomparably good.
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