Rohit Sharma was recently replaced as the skipper of the Indian ODI team ahead of the Australia series, while Shubman Gill was appointed in the role. Amid such calls, the two stars’ former teammates Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma revealed their retirement plans.
Therefore, both Rohit and Kohli will play ODIs under the captaincy of Shubman Gill. According to commentators, despite their ambitions to participate in the 2027 World Cup, current circumstances make this unlikely.
While announcing the squad on October 4, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar also highlighted the uncertainty surrounding Rohit and Virat’s participation in the upcoming ICC event, which is expected to be hosted by South Africa.
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Former cricketer announces Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement calls
Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has suggested that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli might consider retiring from international cricket after the Australia tour. He pointed out that both players might find it difficult to tolerate unwanted treatment from football’s greats.
Given the immense contributions made by both modern-day veterans, they are being treated not only unfairly, but also insultingly.
“Considering Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s contributions to Indian cricket, being treated like this is extremely insulting. I honestly think both of them might announce their retirement soon, perhaps after the Australia series,” Manoj Tiwary said in an interview with CricTracker.
“When someone is made captain, the objective is to win matches and series. Rohit Sharma was already delivering consistent results and the team was performing well, so why was this change necessary?” he added.
Manoj Tiwary reveals his displeasure over Virat Kohli’s Test retirement
While talking about the longest format of the game, both Indian veterans opted out of the format ahead of India’s tour of England. However, Virat Kohli’s retirement had shocked everyone as the batter was very close to the 10,000 Test milestone and he could continue to be a major force in the Indian batting order.
Tiwari also discussed Virat’s retirement from Test cricket, attributing it to his dissatisfaction with the attitude of the team management. According to Manoj Tiwari, “When a player, regardless of his stature, feels that the team does not need him or that he is not respected, a person who is self-respecting and worthy cannot move forward.”
“That’s why Virat Kohli quietly walked away from Test cricket, not out of frustration, but out of self-respect,” he added.
So far, India is only looking for Virat’s successor in the Test side. Players like Sai Sudharsan as well as Karun Nair tried to replace him in the Indian XI, but they failed miserably.
Rohit Sharma’s record as skipper of Indian white-ball team
During Virat Kohli’s captaincy tenure with the Indian Test team, he led them in 68 matches while winning 40 of those matches. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, pointed out that as the skipper of the Indian team, he was invincible in ICC tournaments.
Rohit Sharma led India to the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 and the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, but lost both those matches. However, since then, Rohit Sharma has led India to two successive ICC titles, winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Rohit Sharma boasts a staggering winning percentage of 75 as he is often referred to as the ‘Hitman’. Having led India in 56 ODIs as captain, he achieved victories on 42 occasions.
ALSO READ: “Virat Kohli was to be named Indian Test captain again in Australia, by the 5th Test his career was over”
