Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both talismanic players, are all ready to make their international comeback in the oncoming ODI series against Australia. Having retired from Tests and T20Is, Kohli and Rohit last played international cricket during India’s tour to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. Sunil Gavaskar, a former Indian skipper and a legend of the game, has explained the reason for their availability for the tour as they prepare for a three-match ODI series.
Usually, the BCCI rests its senior players and picks a young team of promising talents whenever India face a lesser-ranked side like Zimbabwe and West Indies. Rohit and Kohli have been the anchor to the Indian batting against the tougher sides, and they often opt out of the international assignments against the lower-ranked teams, with the Indian think tank taking advantage of their unavailability to test its bench strength.
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Sunil Gavaskar is of the view that if this had been a tour of Zimbabwe or the West Indies, Rohit and Kohli would not have been available to represent India. The former captain goes on to explain that, as Australia defeated India in the 2023 World Cup final, the veteran cricketers decided to make themselves available for this tour in order to give India the best chance to win the ODI series.
“I’m pretty sure that if this were a tour to Zimbabwe or the West Indies, both of them would not have been available for opening. But because this is in Australia, and India lost to Australia in the World Cup final, maybe it is a reason both of them have decided, yep, I want to be available for this one.”
The legendary batsman also suggested that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain active in the domestic circuit by playing in the forthcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy if they intend to appear in the next World Cup cycle, this will work for match fitness and give them adequate game time before the big show.
“They will have to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy in India whenever it’s scheduled, if it doesn’t clash with any international ODI tournaments. That’s one way to stay in trim and maintain match practice,” he added.
The Indian team embarks on an Australian tour with a three-match ODI series, in which Kohli and Rohit are part of the team. The three ODIs of this series are to be played at Perth, Adelaide, and Sydney, in an order chronologically.
