CHENNAI: A new beginning. A new captain. Several exciting young players waiting to seize the moment. The Indian team that has landed in Australia has all that. However, when they walk onto the field at The Perth Stadium, the 50,000 fans, who are expected to fill the stands for the first ODI on Sunday, will be chanting and cheering for two lads in the North of 35 — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The former has just been removed as captain and will be playing for India for the first time since the Champions Trophy final where he led from the front to win his second ICC trophy as skipper. The latter, Rohit's predecessor and Australia's darling, hasn't played any professional cricket since the triumphant IPL final in Ahmedabad when Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first title. One is 38 years old. The other will be turning 37 in less than three weeks. And over the course of the week where India play three ODIs Down Under, it is these two veterans who will hog the limelight.
And with good reason. Last time both were in Australia, they played their final Test matches. Although they did not know at the time, signs were there. Rohit dropped himself for the final Test in Sydney, Kohli had a pattern of dismissals that painted a sorry picture after the Perth ton. A few months on, both retired a week within each other.
This, however, is a different format. It is something they are best suited to and play in their sleep. Both Rohit and Kohli had made it clear that they are keen to play the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa. Kohli won it once as a player in 2011, Rohit hasn't. They came close in 2023 at home but Travis Head and Pat Cummins had other ideas. It is no secret that winning that coveted trophy has been the dream of this duo; more so for Rohit who was dropped in 2011.
In saying that, zooming out a little, the selectors and the BCCI have looked at the big picture. They know time stops for no one and moved on from Rohit as captain. By the time the tournament in South Africa comes along Rohit will be 40 and Kohli will be 39. It was only fair that they deemed a place in the XI based on performance rather than reputation and being the captain. It is something chief selector Ajit Agarkar and coach Gautam Gambhir have made it clear. While acknowledging that every innings will not come under the lens, they are non committal about having Rohit and Kohli in the World Cup two years from now.
While neither of them have made a public statement about the selector or the coach, the underlying tension is palpable. It was the case when Rohit was Test captain and Gambhir was coach during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and it has only been amplified since. All this uncertainty and tension have put Shubman Gill, who will make his ODI captaincy debut on Sunday, in a tricky place. It will be the first time he leads a side that has both the seniors in the set-up.
However, Gill remains unfazed. "A narrative is run on the outside but nothing has changed in my relationship with Rohit," he said on Saturday. "He is very helpful whenever I feel I need to ask him anything, may be input on nature of the track. I go and ask 'What do you think? If you would have been leading what would you do?' I have great equation with Virat bhai and Rohit bhai and they never hesitate in giving suggestions.
"I have had numerous conversations with Virat bhai and Rohit bhai on how to take team forward. What kind of culture they wanted to take the team forward, and those learnings and experience will help us. These are big shoes for me to fill in because of the legacy created by Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni), Virat bhai and Rohit bhai, so many experiences and learnings. The kind of experience and skill-set that they bring to the team is massive. They have served Indian cricket for close to 20 years and I have learnt a lot when I played under them, the experience that they bring can't be replicated, the runs that they have scored all over world."
One of things Gill reiterated is being clear on communication and messaging. It will be crucial for the young captain going forward to not just rally the team through transition but also have the support and backing of two white-ball giants in his team. For as much as it is for Gill, this is a new beginning for Rohit and Kohli as well. Where every run, every fifty, every hundred will matter. They will want to keep them coming starting from this Sunday so that they will have a chance at playing the 2027 World Cup and achieving that unfulfilled dream.
