In a spectacular twist of events on India’s most recent tour of Australia, veteran batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli seem to have indicated what could be. It was their last large excursion on Australian territory. Having already distanced themselves from Tests and T20 Internationals, the pair may now be waving goodbye to this particular location of their great and renowned careers.
Rohit and Virat Kohli’s Australia White-Ball Campaign brought back memories of their best form during the third One-Day International in Sydney, adding an unblemished 168 runs together, as nine wickets remained and India easily pursued a goal of 237. While Kohli contributed a resilient 74*Rohit remained undefeated on 121. Their performance reminded us of their ongoing quality and maybe also a closing curtain call in Australia.
“Don’t know if we’ll be coming back,” Rohit said after the game with nostalgic, ambiguous comments on the many years of touring Australia, underlining there were “many wonderful memories and bad memories.” He added, “I’m unsure if we will return to Australia, but it was enjoyable all these years we played here.” The tone implied an acceptance of a dying period. Having departed from other forms, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have their attention only on ODIs. Considering India’s long-term prospects for cricket and Australia’s itinerary, this series most likely signals their last major trip Down Under.
The Sydney match may well have marked the last chapter of the pair’s great Australian adventure for fans, thereby altering what may have been a terrible regular chase into something significantly more metaphorical. If this is their final Australian project, it begs a query on their future in the ODI format and how they could fit into shorter commitments or mentoring positions. Both players have a lot of experience; India might now aim to mix that with new ability in foreign environments. Cricket fans would be watching closely to see if Rohit and Kohli decide to keep going longer in ODIs or start tapering off.
