'Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma were not asked to...': India head coach goes blunt on retirement chatter

Former India National Cricket Team head coach Ravi Shastri has made a colossal statement on the legendary batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of their comeback to international cricket.

Ravi Shastri said that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were not asked to retire from Test cricket, and they went out on their own terms, and a similar kind of thing can be expected in ODI cricket.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma set for international comeback

It's been a long time since Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli donned the blue jersey and played international cricket for the India National Cricket Team.

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They last played for India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which was played across the UAE and Pakistan, in the months of February and March. Kohli looked in incredible touch with the bat throughout the competition, while Rohit Sharma played a match-winning knock in the final to help India lift yet another ICC trophy.

After that, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and announced their retirement from Test cricket in the middle of the league.

Their retirements ruled them out of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, and they didn't feature in the Asia Cup 2025 because it was played in T20I format, which they quit last year.

Meanwhile, Kohli and Rohit will make their ODI comeback in the upcoming three-match series against Australia. The modern-day batting greats absolutely love playing in and against Australia and have scored a plethora of runs over the years.

Rohit Sharma has slammed 1328 runs at an average of 53.12 in 30 innings in Australia, and overall, he has scored 2407 runs at an average of 57.30 in 46 ODIs against them. Talking about Kohli, he averages 51.03 in ODIs and has slammed 1327 runs in 29 matches in Australia, and overall in 50 games, he has scored 2451 ODI runs at an average of 54.46 against them.

It depends how hungry you are - Ravi Shastri

Speculations have been rife about Rohit and Kohli's potential involvement in the ICC World Cup 2027, and now Ravi Shastri has shared his views on the matter. Former India head coach said that the batters have got a lot of experience in their bag and their hunger, along with fitness, will decide the World Cup fate.

“(Virat Kohli is) a master chaser, and Rohit is explosive at the top. They feel they've got enough cricket in them,” Shastri said on Fox Sports.

“It depends how hungry you are, how fit you are, whether that passion for the game is still there. With their experience, it'll come in very handy,” he added.

Also Read: Nepal and Oman secure T20 World Cup 2026 berths; UAE, Japan, and Qatar battle for final spot

They were not asked to retire - Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri further said that the 2027 World Cup is still very far away and taking things series by series is the ideal way for Rohit and Virat Kohli. He also revealed that the duo were not asked to retire from Test cricket, and the same thing will happen in ODI cricket as well.

“I would say take it one series at a time. It's still a long way to go. Virat retired from Test Cricket, as did Rohit. They were not asked to retire. They went on their own. I would think it's similar. If they're not enjoying it, if the form is not good, you never know. They might pull the plug themselves.

“If they’re not enjoying it, if the form is not good, they might pull the plug themselves,” Shastri noted.