Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are two of the finest players to have ever played the game, and their record in ODIs is second to none. However, despite the phenomenal numbers, uncertainty remains over their participation in the 2027 World Cup. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar remain non-committal despite expressing their desire to make the tournament their swansong in international cricket.
In the recent series against England, which India lost 1-2, Rohit scored a century in the series decider. The 34th ODI ton for the Hitman came amid the speculation of the Lord's match being his last in international cricket. On the other hand, Kohli scored two half-centuries in the series. However, the duo had failed in the opening ODI.
Amid the growing chatter about their future, former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta warned both RoKo, urging the duo to hit the ground running and not waste 1-2 matches before finding their groove.
“That has to be a conversation with everyone, not just them (Kohli and Rohit), that they have to start the series well and hit the ground running. That is a challenge. You can’t take one or two games to get into the groove. But that’s where the support staff comes in and has conversations with the players by creating an environment to get the best out of everyone," Deep Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“That has to be a conversation with everyone, not just them (Kohli and Rohit), that they have to start the series well and hit the ground running. That is a challenge. You can’t take one or two games to get into the groove. But that’s where the support staff comes in and has conversations with the players by creating an environment to get the best out of everyone," Deep Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“There is no conversation needed with them about their places in the team. Four years back, it wasn’t like they had to be reminded before every series that they would be in the team. They knew they would be in the team based on their performances. So how does that change now? It does not and should not change,” he added.
Why the discussion
Ever since Rohit and Virat retired from Tests last year, their future in ODIs has been up for discussion every now and then. Ahead of the Lord's match against England, the media reported that the selection committee wants to look past Rohit for the World Cup and wants to give Yashasvi Jaiswal a chance.
However, the BCCI top brass denied the reports of Rohit possibly playing his last game at Lord's Cricket Ground. Deep Dasgupta sympathised with the situation of Rohit and Kohli, saying there's talk about their future because they play just one format in international cricket.
“This discussion about their future is getting exaggerated because they play only one format. When you play multiple formats, if you fail in one but score in the other, the failure is forgotten. So that’s a challenge for these two that can’t be denied. People will remember what they last did in this format because they play only one format. But the conversation with them should be the same as it was three years ago,” he added.