Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma's ODI retirements following up in 2025!! Farewell arrangements made

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might not have given a proper send-off to their iconic players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma that they definitely deserve, but Cricket Australia (CA) is planning to make their Australia tour memorable for life.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had announced their retirements from T20I and Test cricket together, within a week after each other’s bold calls. Their T20I retirement came right after winning the T20 World Cup in 2024, and last month, in May 2025, the duo stepped away from the Test format.

However, many anticipated Rohit’s Test retirement, given his fitness, age, and form, but nobody expected Kohli to call time on his illustrious Test career, and that too, just weeks before the upcoming five-match Test series in England, starting on June 20.

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Cricket Australia plans special send-off for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as BCCI skips tribute

Well, the BCCI didn’t arrange any farewell for their legendary servants, and even the current head coach, Gautam Gambhir, had said that he doesn’t believe in giving grand farewells to the players.

But CA is planning to give Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma a grand send-off when India tours Australia for three ODIs and five T20Is later this year, as it could be the last visit of the iconic duo.

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg said if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli travel to Australia for the last time, they deserve a special farewell for their incredible impact on international cricket.

Greenberg added that Australia wants to honor India’s iconic duo properly for everything they've given to the game during the white-ball series later this year as part of their special preparation to maximize interest for a long summer of cricket.

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We want to make sure we give them a great send-off: CA CEO Todd Greenberg

As reported by ANI, Todd Greenberg told reporters, “If you think about the quality of the players coming, particularly from India, this might be the last time we get to see Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma play in our country. If that's the case—who knows, it might not be—but if it is, we want to make sure we give them a great send-off and acknowledge the incredible contribution they've made to international cricket.”

Speaking on Australia’s busy summer season, where they will play a white-ball series against India followed by an Ashes series against England, the Cricket Australia CEO noted, “For the first time in nearly two decades, Australian cricket will be playing international matches in every single capital city and territory across the entire country. There's a lot of work going into bespoke marketing plans for every game in every city.”

Australia gears up for blockbuster summer after BGT 2024-25 boom

Cricket in Australia hit new heights during India’s 2024-25 tour for the BGT, with huge crowds, especially at the Boxing Day Test, coming to watch the action. Greenberg has noted that last summer saw record ticket sales, and he expects more sellouts this season, saying this could be one of the biggest summers ever, packed with non-stop cricket action from August to March.

Greenberg signed off by saying, “I think we saw real momentum last year on the back of the BGT series, some record-breaking ticket sales. And I anticipate that we'll see a number of sellouts across the summer, really starting in August and going through until March. This might be a summer like we've never seen before, just in terms of the amount of content.”

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