Rohit, bumrah attend yo-yo test, kohli uncertain
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who now only play one format for India—ODIs—are anticipated to take part in the three-match series against Australia in October 2025. Their future in international cricket is still up in the air though. According to a recent report, Rohit and Virat may play their final series in Indian colors in October as the present team management, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, may overlook the duo for the 2027 World Cup. The same report added that the two stalwarts of the game might be asked to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy if they harbour the dream of winning the World Cup in South Africa. Amid all the chatter, Rohit and Virat have started preparing for their next big assignment. India’s ODI captain Rohit is one of seven players who will undergo a pre-fitness test at the Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru. Rohit will be joined by Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammad Siraj, and Shardul Thakur, who will all undergo the Yo-Yo Test. These players will also undergo the Dexa Can to determine their bone density. These tests are a part of the pre-season tests. However, there is no clarity on Virat Kohli, who retired from Tests in May this year. It remains unclear when the former India captain will undergo the fitness Test. This is also the first time Rohit will undergo the fitness Test since announcing his retirement from Tests. A representative of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed to the Indian Express that all players under central contract are required to take a fitness test before to the season. According to the board’s rules, this is mandatory. “All players have to undergo a pre-season fitness Test, it’s mandatory as per the contract. These tests help the COE understand the areas the players have to work on or where they are lacking. As there was a big break (after the England Test series), the players were given sets of exercises to do at home,” the BCCI official stated. Prior to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against England, both Virat and Rohit quit Test cricket. After India won the 2024 World Cup, the duo also stopped playing Twenty20 Internationals. Adrian le Roux, the current strength and conditioning coach for the Indian team, has already suggested including the rugby-focused Bronco Test in the fitness evaluations. The Indian Express claims that later in the season, the Bronco Test will be included in the regimen. Ahead of the Asia Cup, which starts on September 9, India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav have already shown up for the fitness test.
Devang Gandhi believes “Time Doesn’t wait for Anybody casting doubt on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s ODI futures
Former India batter and ex-selector Devang Gandhi believes it will be difficult for senior pros Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to keep youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan out of India’s ODI setup for long. Gandhi pointed out that they have already proven themselves in Test cricket and could excel in the 50-over format if given the opportunity. Gandhi told TOI “How will you make players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan, among others, sit out when they have shown how well they can adapt? The bigger transition is from T20s to Tests. Once a player has done well in Test cricket and has the power game, ODIs should come easier to them. It is very important that the selectors and the team management sit together and take a call,”. Gandhi stressed that regular game-time is crucial and urged the selectors to honestly assess whether Virat and Rohit can remain at their peak over the next two years. “If, say, in a year’s time, we come to a situation where one of them is not firing and we need a replacement, the team management may not have enough time to prepare a player for the job. There’s absolutely no doubt about the contribution of Rohit and Virat. But time doesn’t wait for anybody.” The captaincy question is equally important, and the selectors must make a decision. Gill has already proven himself ready to lead in Tests and, given his current form, is arguably India’s best ODI batsman, averaging 59.04 with a strike rate of 99.56. with a strike rate of 99.56. With the rapid evolution of the game, the selectors face a crucial decision regarding the balance between experience and youth. Gandhi noted that if Kohli and Rohit struggle to perform, the team management may not have enough time to prepare a replacement. The captaincy issue also looms large, as Shubman Gill has shown he is capable of leading the team, further complicating the decision-making process. His performances have earned him the team’s respect, making the ODI captaincy a natural fit. “There’s absolutely no doubt about the contribution of Rohit and Virat. But time doesn’t wait for anybody,” Gandhi added. With Rohit and Virat — who retired from T20Is in 2024 and stepped away from Test cricket earlier this year — the speculation about their ODI future has been rife. For now, though, it appears they may give one final push to the format they dominated for over 15 years. If they wish to extend their ODI careers beyond October, both may need to feature in domestic one-day competitions like the Vijay Hazare Trophy in December, as well as the ‘A’ series against Australia and South Africa, in addition to international fixture. t this stage of their careers, however, there remains uncertainty over whether these legends would be willing to endure the grind of domestic one-day cricket in far-flung venues once again.
Manjrekar asserts India have Moved On From Kohli-Rohit
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has explained that the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Test Match hasn’t hurting India badly in the IND vs ENG series. Speaking on JioHotstar, Sanjay Manjrekar has said that Rohit Sharma was averaging a dismal 10 in the last two Test series that he played, while ace batter Virat Kohli was averaging 30 in the last five years and although they weren’t easy to replace, their retirements haven’t been a huge loss to India. It was a loss of two very senior players, but not a loss of contribution, because they weren’t contributing as much,” Manjrekar explained “I think India have given a great account of themselves. They’ve kept the series alive, and it’s certainly interesting to see the mood in the bus on the England bus when it goes down to London compared to the Indian bus on the way down to London. As we see Shubman Gill here in a league of legends, as it said, and certainly has the opportunity to go to the top of that sort of leaderboard there, and I wouldn’t bet against it,” Having conceded a 311-run lead and lost their openers for ducks in the second innings, India displayed resolve to get a favourable result because of the efforts of Gill (103 off 238), KL Rahul (90 off 230), Jadeja (107 not out off 185) and Washington (101 not out off 206). In the absence of Rohit and Kohli, Test skipper Shubman Gill led India’s batting charge twice, first in the Birmingham victory over England, then in the Manchester draw that kept the series alive. Former England batter Jonathan Trott said while speaking on Sony Sports, he admitted that had the scenario been reversed, England wouldn’t have managed to pull off the same. “If you’re taking the Joe Root out of the side or taking two experienced players like India have had to retire recently, it would be a very, very different scenario. I think India have given a great account of themselves,” “They’ve kept the series alive and it’s certainly interesting to see the mood in the bus on the England bus when it goes down to London compared to the Indian bus on the way down to London,” Trott added.
Rohit Sharma calls KL Rahul his crisis man!
Rohit Sharma has termed KL Rahul as his crisis man! Rohit says the 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has been an important player for him over the last few years. Rahul was a vital player for Rohit in ODIs during his captaincy as the right-handed batter stepped up in the middle-order and acted as the wicketkeeper during the ODI World Cup in 2023. The Indian captain when asked by India Today about the criticism he faced, Rohit said that whenever the team needed something, Rahul always steps up and raises his hand. The India captain pointed out that the 33-year-old never shies away from responsibility and is ready to bat anywhere and keep wickets if needed. “In the last two-three years, he has been an important player for me. I look at him as a crisis man. Wherever we needed KL to do something, he raised his hand. He has to do the keeping, he will do it. Have to bat anywhere, he will do it,” said Rohit. Rohit said that criticism doesn’t affect him or the players anymore. The Indian captain said that if it did affect someone, then that player would be sitting at home. “I am tired of this. If it affected, then the player would be sitting at home. He would be on his bed thinking I am being criticized, I cannot play with all this is happening with me. The whole world is against me. Being thick-skinned is inbuilt in players.” “I cannot say that it does not affect at all. It may affect some, and it may not affect others. Nothing happens to me. It has been a long time since I have been playing,” said Rohit.
