Speculations were rife about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s farewell from international cricket after the ODI series in Australia last month, but the duo silenced their critics with a stunning display in the third and final match at SCG.
Rohit’s magnificent 121* off 125 balls and Kohli’s measured 74* off 81 balls helped India avoid a series whitewash against Australia.
However, with fewer ODIs being played these days, there is no certainty about the ageing pair’s participation in the 2027 World Cup. Rohit will be past 40 and Kohli 39 by the time next quadrennial event starts in South Africa.
Amid the dilemma, former Australian skipper Steve Waugh has offered important advice to both batting stalwarts and BCCI’s chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar.
"The players have to take some responsibility and realise that the game is bigger than the individual. You can't put yourself above the game. You’ve got to realise that the game moves on and someone else will take your place. You’re not irreplaceable. So I think the players can't dictate the game. At the end of the day, the chairman of selectors has got to make a call for the better," Waugh told senior journalist Vimal Kumar when asked about Rohit and Kohli, and the role Agarkar will play in their remaining careers.
Having retired from T20Is and Tests, Rohit and Kohli have now become one-format players. The three-match ODI series against Australia last month marked their return to international cricket for the first time since March 2025.
Rohit finished the series as the leading run-getter with 303 runs, including one hundred and a half-century. On the other hand, Kohli, after bagging back-to-back ducks in Perth and Adelaide, showed in Sydney with an unbeaten fifty that his hunger and purpose for the 2027 World Cup remain strong.
It remains to be seen whether Agarkar decides to move forward with or without them, but Waugh warned the chief selector against getting too close to the players.
"You’ve got to be open and honest with the players as chairman of selectors. You need to have input. I don’t think you can afford to be too close to the players. You got to have some distance because sometimes you have got to make a tough call. Every chairman is different in the way they go about it. I hope Ajit Agarkar has a good relationship with the players, but he's got to have some distance as well. Communication with experienced players is very important - Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma – what are you thinking? At the end of the day, the chairman of selectors has got to make a call," the Australian legend added.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will next be in action in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting November 30 in Ranchi.
