CHENNAI: At this point, it has become the norm. 'The RoKo show,' 'RoKo back in action'... tagline keeps getting rephrased, underlining the increased focus on two of the most prominent white-ball batters in modern cricketing era — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — whenever India have played ODIs in the last 12 months.
It is the only format they play. And they have only one goal in front of them — the 2027 ODI World Cup. Though the names get clubbed, the conversations about them take a different tone more often than not. Kohli, still the best and fittest in the business, goes into autopilot mode every time he takes a field in the 50-over format. And when he does, the buzz is to enjoy the ride till it lasts and cherish him.
For Rohit, it has hardly been the same. The 39-year-old has had question marks surround him every time he walks out to the field since he was removed as captain. His fitness, injury and age were brought under the scanner and the uncertainty meant Rohit's batting had taken a dip. Not so much in form — he still averages 51.92 and is the second-best batter after Kohli (76) in the team — but in intent.
From striking at 117.23 since the start of 2023 till the 2025 Champions Trophy, Rohit has now dropped down to 96.93. Though the reasons — age, form, etc. — could be anything, one of them that is not discussed as much is the potential sword hanging over him every time he fails. It is something he tried to protect the other batters from when he was the captain. Now, however, the tables have turned. A young Yashasvi Jaiswal has been waiting and he is not getting older.
Naturally, every time he fails to get going, he will come under ridicule. And what hasn't helped is Rohit's lack of game-time. It meant that more often than not he has taken a game or two to find footing, and by then, the series is all but over. Though the results — losses to England and New Zealand and Australia — cannot be written on his name alone, it has led to a debate nonetheless.
So much so that after the second ODI in England, there were reports of him getting dropped after the series or even a potential Lord's retirement. Rohit, who left the question of the World Cup open-ended recently, has not shied away from his immense desire to win that elusive ODI World Cup title. He scored a century, and BCCI top brass threw their weight behind him in public, putting the speculation to rest for the time being.
That was then. A lot has happened since. The biggest news of all is that chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who was not for Rohit continuing till the World Cup, has resigned. Though the BCCI is yet to "officially" make an announcement on his extension, the ending seems inevitable. Now, the focus will shift to the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, who too has remained non-committal about Rohit playing the global event till now.
Interestingly, as Rohit is set to take the field on Sunday against West Indies, Gambhir had spoken about the value he and Kohli bring to the table and how skipper Shubman Gill is lucky to have them by his side. "In ODIs, he (Gill) is very fortunate that he has got the likes of Rohit and Virat to help him on and off the field. Leaving out anyone in Indian cricket from the playing eleven is always going to be tough," Gambhir told JioStar. Though it remains to be seen what Gambhir has to say on Rohit's place in the World Cup which is still 12 months away.
Rohit, meanwhile, knows that he is looking forward to the global event. "The thought will never cross my mind that the business I had is finished. As long as you're playing, there is always something to look forward to. And I'm looking forward to the World Cup, looking at what lies ahead for me. When the World Cup is played, when we play an ICC tournament, it has its own unique challenge, because you face different opponents, you play at different venues. So, you have to prepare differently, think in a different way and that is the challenge," he said on JioStar.
For now, at least, what matters the most is how Rohit does in the next three matches. And whether the Mumbaikar can hit the ground running in the very first match of the series in Thiruvananthapuram is something that the next 24 hours will decide.