BCCI's stance on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma future demolished, retirement confirmed
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The probable return of Indian legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has been delayed on several instances. Now, comments from a senior journalist have taken the internet with suspicions over their possible retirement from ODIs as well.
The two legends from India have retired from the two other formats of international cricket. They announced their retirement from T20Is together after the win in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and then announced their retirement from Test cricket on simultaneous occasions.
Their return for the Indian team was blocked for the first time when India cancelled their white-ball tour to Bangladesh, as the two legends were supposed to feature in the 3 ODI matches. However, now India does not have any series until October, which creates a gap of 6 months for the two greats.
They were last seen in India colours in the ICC Champions Trophy of 2025, which India won. The two were also part of the RCB and Mumbai Indians in the IPL, which was their last on-field appearance.
Senior Journalist opines on the probable retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
After major speculations and repeated uncertainty over Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's future in Indian cricket, a senior journalist from Dainik Jagran, Abhishek Tripathi, has shared his opinion on the fate of the two Indian veterans.
Speaking on Ray Sportz Cricket, when the host asked the senior journalist whether we have already witnessed the final ODI game of the two legendary Indian batters, he strongly replied that it would be too early to make any statement, but with the due course of things, a probable retirement can be predicted.
To quote Mr. Tripathi, he said, "There have been no such discussions made, as the Indian selectors do not have any ODI series lined up, so there has been no need to pick a team. Without discussions, we will not be able to infer any possibility."
BCCI have reportedly denied the white-ball series proposal from SLC
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced earlier this month that they, alongside the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), have jointly decided to postpone the upcoming white-ball series between the two nations scheduled in August.
As a result of the rising political tensions between the two nations and the BCCI also pulling out of participation in the Asian Cricket Council's Annual General Meeting, which is to be held in Dhaka, the board would not agree to risking the lives of their players by sending them on a tour to the neighbouring country.
After the Bangladesh series was postponed for over a year, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, which recently concluded a long series with Bangladesh, proposed to host an equivalent tour for India in the same window.
However, some reports have suggested that the BCCI is likely to reject the offer, citing a further delay in the return of Indian legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
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India is scheduled to play the next white-ball series against Australia in October
After the postponement of the scheduled Bangladesh series and the denial of a white-ball tour to Sri Lanka, India will next get to play an ODI series when they tour Australia for a 3-match ODI and a 5-match T20I series in October.
Rohit and Virat Kohli, who have not played a single match since February for India, would then mark a return to international cricket after an extended gap of 6 months. For two senior batters at this age, a lack of regularity in cricket can be problematic in due course of the game.
Virat Kohli, a batting legend in ODIs, is nearing a milestone of the second-most runs in ODI cricket, as he is currently in the third position. Virat Kohli is also a recipient of the most ODI centuries in world cricket.
