BCCI Vice President dismissed all the speculation revolving around the future of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who currently play in the ODI format for India following their retirement from Tests and T20Is. They’ll be back to play for India in October, during the tour of Australia.
The rumour mill regarding these two batters' future began after India had a successful England tour, sharing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Speculation surfaced that the BCCI wants to hear from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma about their plans. One major point was that the board wants them to feature in domestic tournaments like the Vijay Hazare Trophy to be considered for ODI selection.
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Rajeev Shukla Shuts Down Farewell Talk for Rohit and Kohli
However, Rajeev Shukla dismissed all such speculation in favour of the veterans, making it clear that they remain firmly in the ODI mix as India looks ahead to the 2027 World Cup.
“They haven’t retired, haven’t they? Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are both playing One-Dayers. They haven’t taken retirement, so why are you talking and worrying about their farewell? Retirement from two formats—that’s the phases—but they are still playing ODIs. Don’t worry this much. BCCI policy is quite clear; we won’t ask anyone to retire, they have to make their decisions themselves. He has to take that call, and we respect that,” Rajeev Shukla said in a video shared by the UPT20 League.
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No Farewell Yet: Rohit and Kohli Set for Australia ODIs After Asia Cup
Further, he assured that there’s no need to worry about their farewell, as he dismissed the questions asked by reporters.
“We’ll cross the bridge when we come to it. You are already arranging their farewell! Virat Kohli is very fit, and Rohit Sharma plays very well. Why are you worried about their farewell?” Shukla said in response to the host’s query on a potential farewell match.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were last seen playing for India during the title-winning run at the Champions Trophy 2025. Since India didn’t play any ODIs post-IPL, the team faced England in a five-match Test series. The next big challenge will be the Asia Cup 2025, led by Suryakumar Yadav, starting from September 9.
Meanwhile, the veterans will return to action in October during the limited-overs tour to Australia, starting October 19, where Rohit Sharma will lead India in the three ODI matches.
