New Delhi : With India’s One-Day International season nearing its end, the Indian cricket board (
BCCI) is planning to set up a meeting between selectors and the team management after the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa in order to firm up a plan on
Rohit Sharma and
Virat Kohli’s future in the setup, with an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup.
TOI has learnt that top BCCI officials, coach Gautam Gambhir, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar are likely to sit down together in Ahmedabad after the third ODI in Visakhapatnam next week. Rohit and Kohli haven’t had a proper discussion around the team’s preparation for the next ODI World Cup yet. There have been suggestions that the team management is working on identifying backup players for the duo in case a situation arises where either of the two cannot make it to the showcase event.
“It is very important that players of Rohit and Kohli’s stature are given clarity about what is expected of them and how the current management views their roles. They can’t just be playing with uncertainty,” a BCCI source said. It is also learnt that the BCCI has asked Rohit to “just focus on his fitness and performance” while “avoiding” reacting to speculation on his future.
The board is likely to spell out the concerns of the selectors and the team management to the duo. There is a worry over how soon they can hit the ground running and recover form, since they will join the squad after long breaks because they play in only one format. “They did score runs in the third ODI in Australia. But the series was already lost and the match was set up by the bowlers in the first innings. They looked rusty in the first two matches. One can’t afford that in every series,” a source said.
It is understood that the team expects Rohit to continue batting with his “aggressive” brand of cricket, like he did until the ICC Champions Trophy. In Australia, it was clear he was taking more time than usual to get himself in. “It is expected that he continues to lead by example as a fearless batter at the top of the order. The conditions were tough in Australia but it did look like he was avoiding taking risks. Both are expected to lead the batting to make it easier for the rest of the younger batters around them,” said sources.
The other contentious issue is the game time they have outside international cricket. It is learnt that the board would have been pleased if they had played some cricket in England during the summer. They will be advised to take part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy next month. India have another home limited-overs series against New Zealand in January before the season ends. India’s next ODI assignment is a three-match series in England in July.
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