India higher-ups ponder on Rohit and Kohli’s ODI future as the question of succession looms large on India’s leading ODI players.
India higher-ups are confronted with questions they would have ideally discussed only after the 2025 Champions Trophy ended.
Depressing Indian cricket has been so shaken by Test series losses in Australia and New Zealand that Gambhir and the selectors will meet on January 11 to review the Australia tour. However, the question of the future—including the immediate future—will unavoidably be prominent, as will the question of when India’s ODI team will be reset.
The two most important figures in Indian cricket are Rohit Sharma, the captain of both the Test and ODI teams, and Virat Kohli.
It would have been blasphemous to even consider leaving Rohit and Kohli out of the ODI team prior to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. They played a key role in India’s undefeated march to the final and were the highest run scorers in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Additionally, they played a key role in the 2024 T20 World Cup victory in June of last year, with Kohli even adopting the offensive batting philosophy promoted by Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid.
But both hitters have had trouble since. In addition, Rohit acknowledged that his mistakes as skipper led to India’s 3-0 loss to New Zealand. However, their age (Kohli is 36, Rohit is 37) and the way they have been batting poorly for a long time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy have put them under scrutiny.
Indian cricket’s decision-makers are faced with the following questions: should they use the same strategy that led them to the 2023 ODI World Cup final, or should they consider the latest developments and start over at the Champions Trophy itself?
The solutions are not simple.
Before his first assignment (the ODI series in Sri Lanka) after taking over as head coach in August of last year, Gambhir was questioned about how much good cricket he believed was still available in Rohit and Kohli. He stated that he anticipated both players to be “motivated enough” for both the Champions Trophy and the Australia tour. He stressed that both of them deserved a spot because they could still help the team win, and he even expressed hope that they could participate in the 2027 ODI World Cup if they were healthy. However, Gambhir stated that it was “up to them” to determine their future following the 3-1 defeat in Australia, where Rohit averaged 6.2 and Kohli averaged 23.75.
Although there will be new discussions on their future in Test cricket, Rohit and Kohli were included in the 2025 Champions Trophy plan last year by the selection group led by Ajit Agarkar. Both are among India’s top three, which also includes Shubman Gill, who in the 2023 ODI World Cup had a productive opening partnership with Rohit.
But according to some in the Indian think tank, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s overwhelming performance in Test and T20 cricket makes him a competitive top-order batsman in ODIs as well. Uncapped in ODIs, they think Jaiswal offers the left-hand option and has the potential to become an all-format star like Gill.
Jaiswal might be added to the ODI team as a third opener, but who might he take his spot in the lineup? The opening partnership between Rohit and Gill has been incredibly successful; among opening couples with a minimum cutoff of 25 innings, their average of 72.16 is the best. Although Rohit has not been playing well in Test cricket since September, he was India’s top run scorer in their last ODI series in August in Sri Lanka, scoring 58, 64, and 35 runs on difficult wickets. Although Kohli’s scores in Sri Lanka were low—24, 14, and 20—he excels in the One-Day International format. India’s batting lineup appears to lack experience in their absence.
Rather than making a snap judgement, Gambhir and the India higer-ups might use the same approach before the 2024 T20 World Cup, when there was speculation over Kohli’s potential inclusion in the starting lineup. The selectors, Dravid, and Rohit all felt that his expertise was crucial in major competitions. They reportedly spoke with Kohli to make sure he agreed with India’s preferred batting strategy for T20 cricket.
To decide Kohli and Rohit’s futures in ODI and Test cricket, the BCCI might employ a similar conversation process. Before they meet with the two players, Gambhir and Agarkar should also have a clear vision and be in agreement. Dropping Rohit and Kohli before the Champions Trophy would be a bold move, unless they think their drive has been waning.