Perth: It has been nearly nine years since Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli last played for India without one of them serving as captain. The last instance occurred on Diwali eve in 2016, and now, as India embarks on a new era in One Day Internationals (ODIs), Shubman Gill, the Indian Test captain, is set to assume the full-time leadership role in ODIs. Both Rohit and Kohli are poised to return for India for the first time since the Champions Trophy victory in March in Dubai.
At that time in 2016, MS Dhoni was at the helm during the series finale of a five-match ODI series against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam. Kohli had not yet taken on captaincy across formats, while Rohit had already led the Mumbai Indians to two IPL titles and appeared to be the next in line for the national role. The match was played amid Diwali celebrations, but it ended in a lopsided manner, with India bowling out New Zealand for just 79 runs in a chase set at 270.
In that match, Rohit scored a brisk 70 runs off 65 balls, opening alongside Ajinkya Rahane, while Kohli contributed a solid 65 runs batting at number three. Since that game, every match featuring both Rohit and Kohli has seen one of them captaining the Indian side in various formats. However, with Gill now leading, Rohit and Kohli are expected to focus solely on their batting positions, with Shreyas Iyer serving as Gill’s deputy.
The future of Rohit and Kohli in ODIs leading up to the 2027 Cricket World Cup remains uncertain, but both veteran players look to reaffirm their relevance in a format increasingly overshadowed by T20 cricket and the resurgence of Test matches. Australia is set to witness the return of these cricketing greats.
As for Gill, he understands that this series is more about the re-entry of Rohit and Kohli than his own leadership role. He aims to make an impact by leading through his performance, marking an interesting phase as India embarks on a two-year journey toward the World Cup in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
India’s XI for the 5th ODI against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam, 2016: Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.
