Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma’s ODI retirement date made public as Gautam Gambhir goes ruthless

In a massive development that will shake the Indian cricket, the One-Day International (ODI) retirement date of the batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has been finalized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could say goodbye to ODI cricket after the conclusion of the upcoming series against the Australia National Cricket Team.

BCCI to phase out seniors from the ODI team

The transition phase started in the Indian Test team ahead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 against England as Rohit and Kohli retired from the longest format of the game, and a new captain - Shubman Gill - was appointed.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Now, the BCCI is planning to phase out the seniors from the ODI team as well and hand the responsibility to the youngsters to carry the side forward.

According to a report in Dainik Jagran, the upcoming ODIs against Australia could be the farewell series for two of the greatest cricketers of all time - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

It will mark the end of an era in international cricket as the duo have already retired from T20I and Test cricket, and the ODI goodbye will bring an end to their legendary careers.

Reportedly, the BCCI has set a clear condition for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli if they wish to extend their ODI careers beyond the Australia tour. The duo will have to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and prove themselves in domestic cricket, and because of this mandate, Rohit and Kohli may quit ODI after the Australia series.

"According to BCCI sources, if both want to continue playing after the Australia tour, Rohit and Kohli may have to participate in the domestic Vijay Hazare Trophy starting in December by playing for their respective state teams in the ODI format. They had to play in the remaining Ranji Trophy matches this year as well, but due to poor performance, they retired from Tests. It is possible that because of this condition, they may announce before the Australia series that this will be their last series," the report read.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli not in India's plans for 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup

Publicly, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have expressed their desire to continue playing ODI cricket as long as they can and even give themselves a chance to feature in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027.

However, their World Cup dream could be shattered as the Gautam Gambhir-led team management is not keeping the senior batters in their plans for the marquee tournament.

"The source said that both have given a lot to Indian cricket, but now there is a long line of young players behind them, and the team management and selectors are preparing keeping in mind the 2027 ODI World Cup.

"Meanwhile, sources from the team management said that Rohit and Kohli will not fit into our strategy for the upcoming ODI World Cup," the report added.

Rohit Sharma to end his career as captain, and alongside Virat Kohli

Rohit and Kohli have shared a parallel journey in Indian cricket, both rising through the ranks from humble backgrounds to become icons, and their careers have often mirrored each other.

Both the batters walked away from T20I cricket after winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 and from Test cricket in the same month before the England tour.

Now, the fate has planned their ODI exit together in 2025 after the high-profile matches against Australia on October 19, 23, and 25. The same report claimed that Rohit Sharma, who is currently India's ODI captain, can end his international career as the skipper of the team in Australia.

Overall, Rohit and Kohli have played 273 and 302 ODI matches in their legendary careers and have scored 11168 and 14181 runs respectively at an amazing average of 48.76 and 57.88.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has already started working on a transition plan to deal with the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in ODI cricket and will put faith in the likes of Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Tilak Varma to fill their shoes.

Also Read: Virat Kohli’s last Test jersey immortalized at Mohammed Siraj’s home