Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (AP Photo) New Delhi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed his strong desire to stay at the Los Angeles Olympics. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar wants to stay until the 2027 ODI World Cup. T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has set his sights on 2028 and ODI captain Shubman Gill has locked down the final target for South Africa. Every important individual in Indian cricket is focused on what lies ahead, but the biggest irony is that two of the country’s biggest superstars still have to deal with non-committal undertones.Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – two former ODI captains and arguably the best cricketers to have played the game – are yet to garner public support for next year’s South Africa tour. “There’s still time,” “The World Cup is almost two years away,” “we want to focus on the present.” Over time, the statements have changed, but the sentiment remains the same.
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Ajit Agarkar is knocking on BCCI’s door asking for a huge extension | World CupThe only reassuring words from the Indian camp came in October 2025 when India’s Test and newly appointed ODI captain, Gill, backed both the stalwarts. “Absolutely,” Gill said when asked if he saw Rohit and Kohli playing an important role in the ODIs leading up to the World Cup. “The experience these two have (is immense) and there are very few players who can match the number of matches they have won for India,” he added.Less than a week later, coach Gambhir urged everyone to “stay in the present”.“Look, the FIFA Over-50 World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away and I think it’s very important to stay present,” he told a press conference after India beat West Indies 2-0 in the Test series. “That’s very important. They’re obviously quality players, they’re coming back, they’ll have a handful of experience in Australia as well. Hopefully these two guys will have a successful tour and more importantly as a team we’ll have a successful series.”
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Screengrab)
Since then, Virat and Rohit have played series against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand and also made it big in some List A tournaments for their respective states in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While Rohit has lost a lot of weight – “in half” according to Brendon McCullum, Virat has gained a lot of intent.Specifically, Virat went into beast mode. He has hit four hundreds and as many half-centuries in his last 10 walks after fifty. Rohit had quieter games against New Zealand but he too looked threatening in the series against South Africa and Australia. Both the right-handers, who have been the mainstay of the Indian team for the past two decades, are in the final stages of their careers but continue to fight for survival, chasing the unfinished business of three years ago.India face a busy ODI calendar ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup and it is imperative that someone from the BCCI calls both Rohit and Virat to discuss their plans. Not the players’ plans, but the board’s plans. The players have their target locked in and the onus is now on the Indian cricket board to navigate the situation.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (AP Photo)
The dagger of uncertainty hanging over their heads is not ideal for any Indian dressing room and unsurprisingly the ODI set-up remains the most tense. There are strong grumblings that some senior players are limiting conversations with the coach and limiting chitchat with the chief selector to formal courtesies.
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The head coach, during one of his many media appearances since the T20 World Cup win, claimed that planning for the ODI World Cup will begin some time during the IPL, but there needs to be a dialogue before the plan is finalised. Not just dialogue, but clear communication about whether Virat and Rohit fit into the World Cup plans.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Image credit: BCCI)
While it’s pretty funny that a conversation of this nature, involving two white-ball giants, is even required, the indirect messaging via press conferences and the growing chatter on social media timelines do anything but make the locker room ideal for an event of this magnitude. If other cricketers in one format, not on the right side of 30, can look two years ahead; whether the chief collector may request a trial of unfinished business; and if the head coach can express a desire to continue for a year beyond the end of his official tenure, the least Virat and Rohit can expect is a clear dialogue. If the men who matter still feel they can play well without those two and keep the locker room at its best, they must be reading the room with supernatural ability.
