Courtesy: Google/BCCI
Aakash Chopra, the former Indian cricketer, gave his take on the potential retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the ODI format, stating that, “it’s entirely up to them”. Notably, in just a couple of days time, these two Indian stalwarts will be playing for the national team in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium in the UAE.
Over the past few days, the speculation has been running rampant in regards to Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma playing their last ODI match on Sunday, March 9. These two cricketers have recently retired from the T20I format after playing a key role for India in winning the coveted T20 World Cup title in 2024, following an epic win over South Africa in the final last June.
Their retirement after winning the T20 World Cup seemed slightly logical: Aakash Chopra
In a report published in India Today, Aakash Chopra addressed the potential retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from ODI cricket. He was quoted as saying, “It's entirely up to them. I will be very honest, it's not going to be easy. In 2025, Kohli's performance with the bat has been outstanding and Rohit's has been okay, okay. I won't say his performance is very good. He might change the scenario by scoring a hundred in the final.”
At the same time, Aakash Chopra was unsure about when the Indian cricketing greats hang up their boots in ODIs, and said, “Someone else even asked me whether they would retire. I said I don't know. Their retirement after winning the T20 World Cup seemed slightly logical and it was along the expected lines. It wasn't shocking, but here if they leave both T20Is and ODIs, only Tests will be left then. Will they go down that route? Who knows.”
If the Indian cricket team are able to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand this Sunday, then it will be the second time in the illustrious careers of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma that they will be holding the coveted trophy.
