The roar of the crowd followed by disappointment summed up India’s recent ODI series against New Zealand, and at the heart of it were two familiar figures. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma featured in all the three matches of the series but despite their presence, India suffered a 1-2 defeat that ended in heartbreak on Sunday, January 18.
Virat Kohli began the series on a promising note in the opening ODI at Vadodara’s BCA Stadium on January 11, scoring a fluent 93 off 91 balls. However, he could not carry that momentum into the second match in Rajkot on January 14, where he managed only 23 runs from 29 deliveries. In the third and final ODI at Indore’s Holkar Stadium, Kohli produced a magnificent knock of 124 off 108 balls. It was a valiant effort but it wasn’t enough to chase down New Zealand’s imposing target of 338, resulting in India’s first ever home ODI series loss to the Kiwis.
Across the three matches, Virat Kohli finished with 240 runs, standing out as India’s most consistent batter. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, struggled throughout the series. He could only manage scores of 26, 24 and 11, making it a forgettable outing with the bat.
Following the series, both the senior players are set to disappear from the international calendar for the next four months. With neither player part of India’s T20I plans and the Indian Premier League taking up April and May, there will be no international fixtures for them during this period.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will next be seen in action for their IPL franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, respectively, during the 2026 season. Their return to international cricket is expected in July 2026, provided they remain part of India’s ODI setup.
India are scheduled to tour England in July for a five-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series. The one-day games will be played in Birmingham on July 14, Cardiff on July 16 and at Lord’s on July 19. There is also a proposed series against Afghanistan in June 2026, involving one Test and three ODIs, though official confirmation is still awaited.
Later in the year, India are set to play three ODIs against the West Indies at home, three more against New Zealand away and another three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in December 2026.
