When Virat Kohli scored his hundred in the first match against South Africa in Ranchi, celebrations broke out among the crowd. After watching the Indian team get thrashed in the Test series, Kohli’s century felt like a soothing balm to the wounds of the fans. But amidst all this, the cameras focused on Rohit Sharma – a man who has been through a similar rollercoaster in the past few months.
He had a smile on his face, but the video that went viral showed it the former Indian captain shouted several expletives and pumped up as Kohli reached the milestone. In the same game, they picked up exactly where they had left off in the Australian series after producing a swansong masterclass in Sydney with a 168-run stand. It was vintage then, but it was pure carnage at the home of the great MS Dhoni.
Rohit and Kohli combined to score 136 runs in that match and at one point it even looked like they were both set for big hundreds. The action moved into the second match and we were treated to another Kohli set – this one more controlled in its approach. Rohit couldn’t make any headway on the day, but in Vizag, the former India captain left with a different intention – a familiar one over the years.
Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled to cope with the conditions, so Rohit took on the bowlers. He scored 72, ensured the job was done and – almost like a WWE tag team – tagged his trusted ally Kohli to finish things off.
At six and 65 down from 45 overs later, India cruised to a nine-wicket victory and Kohli took home the player of the series award. But the most interesting part was how Rohit and Kohli seemed to be moving again.
It felt straight out of a Rocky movie – Rocky being pushed by Apollo Creed in the face of adversity. It was as if the two men had said to themselves: it will be us against the world.
THE RO-KO METHOD
When you make a statement like that, you get a close look at how they both approach life and prepare for the streak. We have always seen Rohit as more relaxed while Kohli has always been a focused machine.
The moment rumors began to spread that they they needed to “work their way back” into the World Cup planssomething went wrong in both of them. Kohli and Rohit were never known to go together as the newer generation of players, but their methods suddenly looked similar.
Kohli remained in London and Rohit in Mumbai – but despite the distance, it seemed like they would have a Zoom call or two to discuss their training. Rohit shed a lot of kilos and looked in the best physical condition he has seen in years.
Kohli has never had a problem with his fitness and has always looked ready for a match – even when asked to get out of bed and bat. Still, his ODI aggression was the main talking point. The signs were visible during the South Africa series when Kohli started hitting sixes for fun.
Rohit’s fitness remained at its peak – handling full-length dives, sparing boundaries and taking sharp catches. And perhaps the icing on the cake was that Rohit turned down the cake after winning the series and let Kohli get some calories.
Both men know their worth but keep heading back to domestic cricket – just to show they are ready for any challenge that comes their way.
NUMBERS
When you want to prove your worth, numbers matter. And for Rohit and Kohli, it feels like they have turned back the clock and become the pillars of the Indian batting again.
They are the leading run-scorers for India in ODIs this year. Kohli has 651 runs; Rohit, 650. The next best, Shreyas Iyer, is far behind with 496.
Kohli averages 65.10; Rohit averages 50. Their strike rate is higher than 95, with Rohit at 100.46. Both have four fifties this year, while Kohli leads in hundreds: 3 to Rohit’s 2. Add to that that both are 1–1 in the Player of the Series award since winning the Champions Trophy.
They have also become the most watched duo in Indian international cricket and are closing in on the 400-match mark together after the series against the Proteas.
VIBE
This is the part that goes beyond statistics. The atmosphere in the Indian dressing room was very different from the one that left after the Test series debacle.
The aggression was back in Kohli as he attacked a side that looked low on morale after the Tests. Rohit’s on-field expressions were trending again, especially his banter with Kuldeep Yadav over DRS after the third ODI.
Kohli’s dance with Kuldeep and his banter with Arshdeep showed how the two senior players continue to play a huge role in raising the energy of the team. As suggested by Sanjay Bangar, the duo had to speak to the group and help them out of their slump.
“They had to talk to the boys after the humiliating loss in the Test series. They helped put things behind them and play with freedom and authority, which gave the whole team supreme confidence,” Bangar said.
With the World Cup still a few years away, a lot can change for the Indian team and for Ro-Ko. Gautam Gambhir himself said that the event is far away and the team wants to stay in the present.
But right now, Rohit and Kohli remain firmly part of India’s ODI plans. And as Kris Srikkanth suggested, maybe this team can’t win the World Cup without these two giants in the side.
– The end
Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
December 8, 2025
