As their international careers move towards the final chapter, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain focused on achieving one major goal together – winning the 2027 ODI World Cup. Having shared the field for most of their India careers, the experienced duo continues to enjoy batting alongside each other despite growing uncertainty over their ODI futures.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have played together throughout their journeys with team India, witnessing each other’s rise to become two of the country’s greatest cricketers. Both also captained India across all the three formats, with Rohit taking over the leadership roles after Kohli.
The two stars retired from Test and T20I cricket around the same time and are now aiming to end their international careers on a high by lifting the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Questions remain over their ODI futures, especially after recent reports suggested that the selection committee may have informed Rohit Sharma about plans to move in a different direction. Despite the speculation, the pair continues to build important partnerships whenever they bat together.
During the third and final ODI of the three-match series against England at Lord’s, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli put together their 21st century partnership in ODIs. Their stand gave India hope while chasing a massive target of 388, although the team eventually fell short.
Speaking after the match, Rohit Sharma said batting with Virat Kohli has always been enjoyable because they have spent most of their careers together and understand each other’s game very well. He added that their long partnership over the years allows them to exchange ideas naturally while batting.
Rohit scored 138 to become the first Indian batter to register an ODI century at Lord’s, while Kohli contributed a quick 74 off 60 balls. 39-year-old Rohit Sharma also continued his impressive record in England by scoring his eighth ODI century in the country. Overall, Rohit has amassed 1,603 runs in 30 ODI innings in England at an average of 64.12.
Reflecting on his performances, Rohit said he enjoys playing in England because the atmosphere, grounds and pitches provide different challenges in every format. He added that facing such conditions helps players improve and makes the experience more rewarding.
India, however, lost the series 1-2, with the bowling attack coming under criticism.
Rohit Sharma defended the bowlers, saying many of them are still inexperienced in ODI cricket and need time to develop. He added that the team will learn from the defeat, improve in similar situations in the future and move forward despite being disappointed with the result.
