Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made an underwhelming Team India comeback in the first ODI of the three-match series in Australia. The first ODI is being played in Perth on October 19, 2025.
India was asked to bat first, and apart from Kohli, Rohit Sharma also made his India comeback. While Rohit managed 8 runs, Kohli had a poor comeback to international cricket, scoring 0 in eight balls as India was 52/4 in 16.4 overs when rain interrupted the game for the umpteenth time in Perth.
Speaking about the veteran duo’s poor outing on their comeback, ex-India pacer Varun Aaron stated that they should follow the path of legendary MS Dhoni and play domestic cricket.
He mentioned how MS Dhoni played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy after his Test retirement to keep up with match practice.
“Play domestic cricket. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starts in November, and then the Vijay Hazare Trophy starts in December. That’s the best way to be in touch with the game. I remember when MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket; he played a few Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare trophies. That’s a great way to stay in touch. I am sure both the batters are going to look at that. Now, you are not playing two formats. They are going to need match practice,” said Aaron on Star Sports.
Following his retirement from Test cricket in 2014, Dhoni represented Jharkhand in domestic cricket. He appeared in seven Vijay Hazare Trophy matches in 2015-16, followed by eight in 2016-17.
Former India batsman Aakash Chopra also mentioned how difficult it would be for both Rohit and Kohli to develop rhythm fast as one-format players. He also stated that Rohit will now focus on the quantity of runs.
“The fact of the matter is that it’s tough. We have been talking about how difficult it will be to hit the ground running when you are a one-format player. They are not in familiar territory. Also, a good shot and a loose shot and then a good ball. This is how life unfolds for an opening batter. In this new role as only a primary batter and not as captain, I was thinking he was going to focus a lot more on quantity. Quality is always there; we have seen how he’s changed gears. He has started playing a different brand of cricket. Now we have to look at the quantum of runs,” he added.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had retired from T20Is in 2024 and announced retirement from Tests in May this year. They had returned to domestic cricket in the 2024-25 season after a poor BGT tour of Australia. They played one game each for Mumbai and Delhi, respectively.
With the white-ball domestic season approaching, it remains to be seen whether the duo will return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well, given the restricted amount of ODIs scheduled for India in the run-up to the ODI World Cup 2027.
