In light of recent media speculation about the impending ODI retirements of veteran Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, former Indian player Aakash Chopra has voiced his opinion. He suggests that these influential athletes may be retiring from the wrong format, stating that they should have considered stepping back from the 50-over game instead of Test cricket. Chopra bases his argument on the infrequent scheduling of ODI matches in the current cricketing calendar.
Just days after Shubman Gill captained India to a tie result of 2-2 in a series, reports began to circulate indicating that both Rohit and Virat might be considering retiring from ODIs. These reports suggest that the two players may not be included in the plans for the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa and Namibia in 2027 unless they actively participate in domestic 50-over cricket to prove their fitness and form.
Both Sharma and Kohli had previously declared their retirement from Test cricket before India’s tour to England in May.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Chopra remarked, The truth is that they have retired from the wrong format. After winning the T20 World Cup, they stepped away from T20Is. The situation might be different if they had chosen to continue playing Tests while retiring from ODIs. Consider that India played only six ODIs in the 12 months leading up to the Champions Trophy.
Chopra continued, It’s possible that a team might play only six Test matches in a year, but those six Tests still amount to 30 days of cricket. In contrast, if only six ODIs are played, that’s just six days of cricket spread out over a longer duration. There could be more than 100 days between the end of your last IPL match and the start of your next ODI. During that time, you’re not actively playing or even practicing.
Chopra also brought up the fact that the intervals between ODI series are now incredibly large, making it hard to maintain form, fitness, and dietary discipline with so few ODI matches.
A three-match series can finish in just seven or eight days. Then, the next series might not happen for another three months. The gaps are incredibly huge, and you’re not playing first-class cricket in between. It’s true that staying in the groove would have been much easier if they had continued playing Test cricket and retired from ODIs, he said.
When you’ve retired from Tests, and ODI cricket is not frequently played, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. You have just two months of high-intensity IPL cricket, where you might get to play 14 to 16 innings, followed by three matches after six months, and then another three matches after three months. I think it’s very, very difficult, Chopra commented.
Virat and Rohit are recognized as two of India’s finest ODI players. Virat has accumulated 14,181 runs in 302 matches and 290 innings, maintaining an average of 57.88, including 51 centuries and 74 fifties. His highest score is 183.
Rohit, on the other hand, has scored 11,168 runs in 272 matches and 265 innings, with an average of 48.76, featuring 32 centuries and 59 fifties. His highest score is 264.
Both players last participated in ODIs at the ICC Champions Trophy, which they won. In that tournament, Virat scored 218 runs in five matches, with an average of 54.50. His standout contributions included a century against Pakistan and an 84 against Australia in the semifinals. Rohit had a more inconsistent tournament but made a title-winning 76 in the final, finishing the tournament with 180 runs at an average of 36.00 and a strike rate of 100.00.
Since 2023, the year of the World Cup, the pair has been in excellent form. Virat has scored 1,710 runs in 37 matches and 34 innings, averaging 61.07 with a strike rate above 95, including seven centuries and 10 fifties. His standout score is 166*.
Rohit has scored 1,714 runs in 38 ODIs and 37 innings, with an average of 48.97 and a strike rate of 117.24, including three centuries and 12 fifties. His top score is 131.
Their next ODI commitment will be three matches against Australia, commencing on October 19. With additional ODIs scheduled from November to December against South Africa at home, three against New Zealand in January at home, and a summer tour to England for three ODIs in July, fans are hoping that Rohit and Virat maximize these chances to maintain their consistency and reflexes, thereby keeping their chances of participating in the World Cup alive.
