With Rohit Sharma named in India’s squad for the series against West Indies starting Sunday, there is no indication that the former captain is retiring just yet. And if this continues for another year, Rohit could well be in line to feature in the 2027 World Cup, joining Virat Kohli in the pursuit of winning their first-ever 50-overs World Cup together. Despite plenty of speculations being made about their future, former batter Suresh Raina is confident that with Rohit and Kohli in the squad, India’s chances of winning in South Africa will go up by 90 per cent.
"Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need no introduction because I have played a lot of matches with them. This time, we are playing the World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe, and I think having both of them in the team gives us a 90 percent chance of winning the trophy," he said while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
Rohit continues to face a trial by fire for reasons that don’t apply to Kohli. He is a year older, hasn’t been in the same stunning form as his teammate, and is also battling injury concerns. During the IPL earlier this year, Rohit suffered a hamstring injury, and although he appeared to have recovered, he initially looked rusty before roaring back with a hundred at Lord’s. Kohli, meanwhile, looks far more settled when it comes to his place in India’s ODI scheme, making him almost an automatic choice for the unit that heads to South Africa and Zimbabwe.
A lot has been made of Rohit’s future, with reports suggesting a couple of months ago that the third ODI against England was his last. The batter, however, was quick to dismiss those rumours. And now, as he gears up for the next task at hand, a home series, three good outings could strengthen his case, despite a young Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings.
{{/usCountry}}A lot has been made of Rohit’s future, with reports suggesting a couple of months ago that the third ODI against England was his last. The batter, however, was quick to dismiss those rumours. And now, as he gears up for the next task at hand, a home series, three good outings could strengthen his case, despite a young Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings.
{{/usCountry}}Raina isn’t the only one backing Rohit and Kohli. Rinku Singh, who is no longer part of India’s ODI set-up, is in agreement. “They are both legends, both Virat bhaiya and Rohit bhaiya. Not just me, but the entire nation hopes that they play in the World Cup and are part of the team that goes on to win it,” said Rinku on JioStar.
Rohit and Kohli’s ODI record in South Africa
South Africa promises to be a challenge like no other for the legendary Indian batting duo. Their experience should come in handy, but at 39 and 40, how their bodies and hand-eye coordination respond to the challenging conditions could go a long way in determining their performance. Kohli has a batting average of 74.83 in ODIs in South Africa, with 898 runs from 14 matches, but the same cannot be said of Rohit, whose numbers read 256 runs at an average of 19.6.