Ex-IND Star Slams Gambhir & BCCI; Claims Kohli Felt 'Unwanted' & Rohit Was 'Disrespected'

Veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be making their ODI return after seven months when India faces off against Australia on October 19. India’s last ODI was on March 9 vs New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final. Since Rohit and Kohli have retired from the other two formats, they have not played international cricket since then. Now the legends are back in business.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to Retire from ODIs?

But there is the chance that the ODI series Down Under could be Rohit and Kohli’s farewell to the game. Rohit has been removed from the captaincy and Shubman Gill has taken his place. Gill is already the Test skipper and is expected to take over the T20I leadership as well when Suryakumar Yadav is done. Suryakumar is 35 so will be around for maybe a couple of years while Gill is only 26.

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Was Gambhir Responsible for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Exit from Tests?

Many believe it was coach Gautam Gambhir who orchestrated Rohit and Kohli’s Test exit and Gill becoming ODI skipper. Former India player Manoj Tiwary feels that Rohit and Kohli may call it a day soon as what is happening now is 'nothing short of disrespectful'. He is not impressed with the way Gambhir and the BCCI have dealt with the matter.

"You've said Rohit Sharma should retire after being sacked as captain. Do you think this will also impact Virat Kohli?" he was asked on CricTracker.

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"It already has. Otherwise, why would Virat have left Test cricket? He had already started preparing mentally for the upcoming England series. But the environment, the situation around him in Indian cricket, made him feel unwanted. When a player, no matter how big he is, starts feeling that he's not needed or respected, a player with self-respect and dignity will never continue," he said in reply.

Is Gautam Gambhir Moving on Too Fast From Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli?

"That's exactly why Virat quietly stepped away from Test cricket, not out of frustration, but out of self-respect. And if things continue the same way, I honestly think there's a possibility that Rohit might also take that step in the future, not because he wants to, but because no great player should be made to stay where he feels disrespected," he added.

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"Look, there's no rocket science in understanding this. From their statements, it's quite clear: they don't want different captains for different formats. That indirectly means they're looking to make Shubman Gill the captain across all formats. But let's keep that thought aside for a moment and ask, why make this change now? When you appoint someone as captain, the goal is to win matches and series. Rohit Sharma was already doing that consistently," he went on to say.

"The team's performance was solid, the results were coming, so what was the need for this change? After the kind of contribution both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have made for Indian cricket, if they're being treated like this, it's nothing short of disrespectful. I genuinely feel that very soon, both of them might decide to announce retirement, possibly after the Australia series," he continued.

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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Nearing the End of Their International Careers

Rohit is 38 and has been playing for 18 years while Kohli is almost 37 and has been around for 17 years. Both are in the twilight of their careers and the 2027 ODI World Cup is looking distant. It remains to be seen if they can both make it. Form, fitness and being under the scanner will all come into play to determine their future in the side. An ODI retirement will also mean an international farewell for ‘Hitman’ and ‘King’ as this is the only format they play for India.

The Brilliant ODI Records of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

Both have numbers to die for in ODI cricket. Rohit has batted 265 times in 273 games with 36 unbeaten knocks. He has scored 11,168 runs at an average of 48.77 along with 32 100s and 58 50s. His top score is 264. Kohli’s stats are even better with 14,181 runs in 290 innings from 302 matches with 45 not-outs. He’s made 51 100s and 74 50s with a personal best of 183. Individually, they are brilliant and together, they are lethal. When they do leave, which they will one day, be it together or separately, the void will be huge in Team India and filling it shall be no easy task.