E-Paper
Sign in
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma retiring from two formats was the best thing that could’ve happened: Former cricketer
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are single-handedly keeping ODI cricket's relevance alive, feels a domestic cricket stalwart. Read on to know what he said.
Priyank Panchal, the former Gujarat batter, who was widely regarded as one of the best batters in domestic cricket, stated that both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma made good calls by retiring from Tests and T20Is, as it was the best possible thing to happen to the future of the 50-over format (ODIs). It is worth mentioning that recently, several voices have been heard, constantly urging Kohli, the former India captain, to reconsider his Test retirement and don the white jersey again.
Kohli and Rohit retired from Tests last year, while they bid farewell to the T20I format after winning the T20 World Cup in 2024. The duo returned to international cricket in October 2025 with much fanfare, making the trip to Australia for three ODIs.
Over the last few months, the future of ODI cricket has been constantly debated, and even Ravichandran Ashwin has said that the task of stakeholders is to keep ODIs relevant, as watching the entire 50 overs can be a lethargic process due to the monotony that creeps in during the middle overs phase.
Also Read: Rishabh Pant ruled out of ODIs against New Zealand after fresh injury setback
Panchal believes that ODIs were in their “final trenches”, but the format has just been revived on the star power of Virat and Rohit. He said that everyone is talking about the 50-over format as it is the only thing in international cricket that the two stalwarts of the game are playing.
“Virat and Rohit retiring from the other two formats was the best thing that could’ve happened to ODI cricket. The 50-overs game, which seemed to be in its final trenches, has suddenly been revived because two of India’s biggest legends play exclusively that format,” Panchal wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
RoKo on fire
The last two months of 2025 saw both Virat and Rohit setting the stage on fire as they scored runs for fun in the ODIs against South Africa and then in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Rohit started the season with a bang, winning the Player of the Series accolade against Australia, and the feat was then achieved by Kohli against South Africa.
Both Virat and Rohit then represented Delhi and Mumbai respectively in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Rohit returned with scores of 155 and 0 while Kohli smashed 131 and 77.
Before the series against Australia, several questions were raised about the future of the two and whether they would be able to make the African safari for the 2027 World Cup. However, the recent form has silenced critics for good, and the duo are not going away anytime soon.
Kohli and Rohit will next be seen in action in the three ODIs against New Zealand, beginning Sunday, January 11.
