A visibly distraught Virat Kohli was spotted sitting between Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah during India’s batting innings in the second ODI against England at Cardiff on Thursday. When one saw the official broadcast, nothing seemed out of sync. Everything looked normal. Kohli had gotten out, losing his wicket to Jofra Archer on 65, and an irritated expression was par for the course. However, several hours have passed since the viral videos and pictures of Kohli sitting with Rohit and Bumrah, and the clips have taken on a new meaning in light of what has transpired.
Shortly after India were bundled out for 233 in the second ODI, a damning report surfaced, revealing Rohit’s future in international cricket. An Indian Express report claimed that the 39-year-old is all set to play his last game for the national team on Sunday at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
The same report revealed that the selection committee informed Rohit that he’s no longer in their plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup, and the Ajit Agarkar-led panel wants to give Yashasvi Jaiswal a fair run as an opener. In the two ODIs Rohit has played so far against England, his bat hasn’t done the talking, as he returned with scores of 11 and 26.
Now with Rohit’s future out in the open, the image of Kohli sitting with his long-time batting partner gains a new dimension. The duo batted together for a brief while in the Cardiff ODI, where Rohit looked all at sea, struggling for timing. Kohli was also seen giving several pep talks from the non-striker’s end.
Over the years, Kohli and Rohit have formed a formidable batting partnership in ODIs, registering the third-most runs by any pair in the format, only behind Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly and Kumar Sangakkara-Mahela Jayawardene.
Role of Ravi Shastri
Not just Kohli; it seems the former India head coach, Ravi Shastri, also knows the writing is on the wall for Rohit. During India’s bowling innings, where the visitors failed to defend the total, Shastri was heard saying glowing things about Rohit’s career in ODI cricket.
During commentary, Shastri, along with Ian Ward, repeatedly spoke about Rohit and his role in making the team a powerhouse. All of this happened as the cameras kept panning to Rohit. However, the Hitman didn’t give any expressions of a player who was potentially playing the second-last game of his career.
“He’s been on the side for a long time. Won the T20 World Cup but missed out on the 50-over World Cup. He’s got the record for the most hundreds in the World Cup. Five of them in the UK in the 2019 edition,” said Shastri.
On the other hand, Ian Ward spoke about how Rohit has always carried himself with dignity and how humbleness is one of his biggest virtues.
Speaking of Rohit, he set his sights on the 2027 ODI World Cup after retiring from Tests last year. He shed several kilos and achieved the best shape of his career. However, he has been under constant scrutiny, with each of his performances being put under the microscope by the team management and the selection committee.
Rohit has never won an ODI World Cup in his career, and hence the desire to have another crack at the tournament was not surprising considering what happened in the 2023 edition, where the Men in Blue came up short in the final against Australia under his captaincy.
