CHENNAI: Two days before India took the field in the first ODI against Australia last month, chief selector Ajit Agarkar came out and spoke about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit 2025, Agarkar said that it would be silly to put the two senior players on trial every game. Rohit scored a fifty and century, Kohli scored a half-century but India lost the series 1-2.
A little over a month has passed, and it seems like things are back to square one. With India taking the field against South Africa in the first ODI, under KL Rahul as captain, Rohit and Kohli once again are caught in the limelight. Perhaps, it was always going to be the case with Kohli being 37 years old and Rohit closer to 39 than he is to 38.
However, this time there is a little more to it. It will be the first time the duo play together at home since the third ODI against England in February. While Rohit did score runs in Australia, the conditions there were different. It was not the usual aggressive opener India are used to over the last few years in this format. And despite the fact that the batting unit collectively failed in the first two games, the focus will remain on the two senior pros considering their age and the road to the 2027 World Cup. In many ways, it is unavoidable as it was the case with MS Dhoni with every series in the lead up the 2019 WC. However, here, under a new team management and a young captain, Rohit and Kohli will feel the heat within a lot more than Dhoni would have. Even more so considering the speculations about reviewing their place in the team after the series.
What will be interesting to see is how they go about their business, especially Rohit. Will he come out all guns blazing as he did in Cuttack earlier this year against England or is it going to be a sedate run-accumulator of the past? Time will tell.
As far as the captain is concerned, Rahul said the duo holds significance in the team. "To have senior players in the team obviously makes the dressing room feel a lot more confident. Having their presence and experience helps out a lot of players in the dressing room and helps out the team. So, we are really happy that they are here," Rahul said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, it will not just be Rohit and Kohli who are under pressure but head coach Gautam Gambhir and the team as well. India are coming on the back of a humiliating white wash against South Africa and questions have been raised about the head coach's credentials in the red-ball format. Gambhir, and the team, would want to tuck that away and focus on get back to winning ways.
"Winning is the most important thing. So, that is what we are trying to focus on," Rahul said.
The first step towards that would be Rohit and Kohli coming to the party in Ranchi on Sunday and taking India across the line.
