It looks like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s ODI career is murkier than ever. After stepping away from Test cricket in May 2025 and T20Is in June 2024, it seemed like ODIs would be their sole focus. But a report from Dainik Jagran suggests they might end their international careers after the ODI series against Australia.
The report even mentioned that if Kohli and Rohit want to be considered for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, they might have to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to prove their fitness and commitment.
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra thinks Kohli and Sharma retired from the wrong format. He believes it would have been better if they had quit white-ball cricket instead. They both announced their T20I retirements after India’s T20 World Cup victory in June 2024.
Chopra feels that just playing ODIs won’t be enough for them. He asks how will they get enough playing time and stay motivated with so few ODIs between now and the next IPL.
Chopra noted that India played only six ODIs in the year leading up to the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year.
They retired from the wrong format, Chopra said. They left T20Is after winning the World Cup, but things might have been different if they had continued with Test cricket and retired from ODIs.
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He added, If you play six Tests a year, that’s 30 days of cricket. But with six ODIs, it’s still just six days. There will be over 100 days between your last IPL match and your next ODI. You won’t be playing or practicing at all. A three-ODI series is over in a week or so and then the next one is three months later. The gaps are huge. It would have been easier to stay in form if they had played Test cricket instead of ODIs.
Chopra also asked about the possibility of them playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in December. What’s the point? India has nine ODIs before the next IPL. That’s it—just nine days of cricket. You’re not playing or practicing, he said.Let’s be real; Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli don’t need to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Selection won’t be based on their performance there. If they had played Tests and retired from ODIs, it would have been easier to stay in the groove, he said.
Chopra doesn’t think they will actually play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
