Regardless of retirement rumours, Suresh Raina feels India nonetheless want Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma in ODIs

Having already stepped away from T20 Internationals and Test cricket, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will once again be absent from the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE. The tournament will be played in the T20 format, and both stalwarts are expected to return only in late October when India tours Australia for a three-match ODI series.

Keeping in mind all of this, there have been enough reports recently suggesting that Kohli and Rohit might not have enough fuel to play till the ODI World Cup 2027. The two modern-day greats have never won an ODI World Cup together. While Kohli was part of the famous 2011 batch, Rohit missed out. Now, with the T20 World Cup 2024 and the ODI Champions Trophy in their kitty, the two legends want a perfect script that ends with the ODI World Cup 2027 as well.

Raina backs Kohli-Rohit duo in ODIs

Former India batter Suresh Raina believes any talk of Rohit and Kohli being past their prime in ODIs is premature. Speaking to Telecom Asia Sport, Raina said India still lack dependable options at the top when chasing targets. He pointed out that positions No. 1 and No. 3 in ODIs remain critical, and the two veterans still have the skill and temperament to deliver in high-pressure games.

Rohit’s position as ODI captain remains uncertain despite guiding India to the Champions Trophy title earlier this year. “India don’t have dependable players at No. 1 and No. 3 (in ODIs) at the moment, especially when chasing. Rohit and Virat’s experience is very important. It’s crucial for the seniors to stay involved with the juniors,” Raina said, noting that young players like Shubman Gill have flourished but still benefit immensely from the presence of proven match-winners in the dressing room.

Kohli and Rohit are perhaps two of the all-time greatest batters, not just for India but across the globe. Kohli, with 14,181 runs in 302 matches at an average of 57.88, remains second only to Sachin Tendulkar on India’s all-time run-scoring charts. Rohit has amassed 11,168 runs in 273 ODIs, including a world-record 264 and 32 centuries. With such proven records, their absence from the ODI setup would leave a gap that is hard to fill.

Gill, who recently took over the Test captaincy, was India’s standout performer on the England tour with 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, including four centuries. Yet, according to Raina, there is no substitute for the kind of championship pedigree Rohit and Kohli bring. “They have won the Champions Trophy, they have won the World Cups. Virat won the last IPL also. For the astute leadership they have shown, they need to be part of the dressing room,” he said.