The Road to Australia: What’s at Stake for Kohli and Sharma in the Upcoming Matches?

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two stalwarts of Indian cricket, are facing a challenging scenario in their ODI careers. With over 14,000 and 11,000 runs scored in ODIs, they might still be striving for a spot in the Indian team. Having retired from T20 and Test formats, the Australia tour could be the final ODI series for the veteran cricketers. Reports suggest that the team management may not include them in the 2027 World Cup plans. They could be forced into retirement after the Australia tour. Furthermore, they might need to prove their mettle in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to ensure their continued selection. However, there are discussions within the BCCI about having them play three ODIs before the Australia series to allow them to regain their form. The Australia ODI series is scheduled from October 19 to 25. It is also being considered that Rohit and Virat play in the India A vs Australia A series, which is scheduled between September 30 and October 5, to regain their form before the main tour.