We look at each other and laugh while watching the story of Ro-Ko on TV: Rohit Sharma

For almost two decades, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been the stalwarts of Indian cricket. They played together, led together, celebrated together and suffered some of the most painful defeats in the game together. Now, as both enter the twilight of their international careers, Rohit says the bond between them remains almost the same as when it began.

Their relationship has been in the spotlight again in recent days, with the pair’s popular moniker ‘Ro-Ko’ becoming the subject of Kohli recently spoke about it. Kohli said the label had a “nice ring” and that he enjoyed the fun surrounding it.

Speaking to JioStar himself, Rohit revealed that the two react quite simply whenever the ‘Ro-Ko’ brand appears on TV.

“I think we were together. I think it started when we played in Australia or right after Australia when we came to India. That’s when it started and whenever it plays on TV we look at each other and laugh. Which is good, it’s fun. People want masala, so there’s some masala,” Rohit told JioStar ahead of India’s second ODI against India.

However, behind the jokes is a relationship built over years of shared experiences. Rohit made his India debut in 2007; Kohli followed in 2008. Since then, their careers have become deeply intertwined.

“Both of us, we almost started playing at the same time. I debuted in 2007, he in 2008. And since then we have been trying to give our best for the team,” said Rohit.

“So yes, there’s a strong camaraderie between the two of us and we understand what it takes to be at a certain level when you play at that level. Of course the methods are different, but that’s how it should be, every individual is different.”

ROHIT APPLAUSES KOHLI’S TEST CAPTAIN

The numbers highlight how much of the recent history of Indian cricket the two have shared. Kohli played 91 ODIs under Rohit, scoring 3,682 runs at an average of 41.37 with nine hundreds. Meanwhile, Rohit played 145 matches under Kohli, scoring 7,469 runs at an average of 50.12 and making 25 centuries.

It was also during Kohli’s captaincy that Rohit’s Test career took a turn. After struggling to establish himself in the middle order, he was promoted to open in Tests and became one of India’s most prolific red-ball openers.

Kohli, in turn, remained a key figure during Rohit’s captaincy, including India’s triumphant campaigns in the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy.

Rohit especially appreciated co Kohli brought to Indian cricket as a Test captain.

“Appreciation, appreciation, if something good happened, it was always from both sides. I appreciate what he did, you know, especially when he took over as captain of the Test team. It was great what he did with that team,” Rohit said.

He explained that their relationship also extended beyond the dressing room and into the finer details of batting.

“At the same time, there’s been a lot of discussion about how we can both individually improve our own game. So sometimes when something’s going on with my bat, he’ll come up and bring it up, sometimes I’ll bring it up. So that conversation is always going on, so it’s no different.”

The same is true when they go to bat together. There is no need for big talk about the significance of the World Cup or what is at stake. Kohli has already played in four ODI World Cups, starting with India’s winning campaign in 2011, and will appear in his fifth in 2027. Last week, he confirmed that the tournament would be his last FIFA World Cup for India, citing the victory as his motivation.

PLANNING THE 2027 WORLD CUP WITH KOHLI?

Asked if he had spoken to Kohli about the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Rohit laughed off the need for such a discussion.

“No, no. He’s been playing for so many years. Whether it’s the 27th World Cup or the 23rd World Cup, there’s no need to explain it to him. The World Cup is the World Cup. And I’m pretty sure everyone who’s going to be part of the team understands the importance of the World Cup. And especially Kohli.”

Instead, their conversations remain wonderfully ordinary.

“When we shoot together, we discuss who to attack, who to single off, what to do. Sometimes something happens in my leg, so I tell him: ‘Brother, run carefully, I feel something.’ So he understands. And such conversations are still happening. So it was pretty fun.”

This is perhaps what Rohit wants people to understand about their relationship. The roles have changed, the years have passed and both now play only ODIs for India. However, the central idea remained intact.

“Nothing has changed from when we started until now. Obviously we’re different individuals in terms of how we behave on the field, but other than that, the goal, the mindset for the team is basically the same: that we have to win the game. We have to win the World Cup, we have to win the tournament, we have to win the series, we have to do well for the team. Which people can we help? It’s exactly the same.”

Watch Rohit Sharma’s exclusive interview on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network on 30th September

Watch ICC Men’s ODI World Cup Schedule Announcement on October 1 on JioHotstar and Star Sports

And as the journey moves towards what could be their last World Cup together, Rohit sees no reason for Kohli to become anything other than the player he has always been.

“For what he has done for the team, for this team, there’s no question, there’s no questioning what he’s done. It’s there for everyone to see. And what he’s going to do now, I don’t think anything has changed. He’s going to be the same Kohli as we know him: he wants to come in, prepare well, go for runs, win matches for Team India. Yeah, he’s been pretty much the same. When I was the captain, the captain, it was pretty much the same and I don’t see why anything should change.”

And there is one final, more personal change. The two haven’t seen each other that often since cricket. Kohli now spends most of his time in London while Rohit remains in Mumbai and since both have left Test cricket and T20Is, the regularity of their meetings has also disappeared.

“Although yes, we meet very rarely now because his house is quite far from mine. And there is an ODI series every month or every month and a half, so that makes it less. Otherwise, until a year ago we were on tour every 5-7 days, so we didn’t have much time at home. Now we both spend more time at home, which is always nice.”

For all the fascination surrounding ‘Ro-Ko’, Rohit’s description of the relationship is less dramatic than the moniker suggests: two players who spent almost 20 years chasing the same thing, even if their paths, personalities and methods were different.

– The end