Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are both part of the Indian team travelling to Australia for their upcoming three-match ODI series despite the veteran pair having last played cricket only in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) which ended on June 3. While Kohli had played in the final on June 3, Rohit's last match was on June 1. Former India captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar has now said that he feels Rohit and Kohli would've sat this series out as well had it not been a tour of Australia. Gavaskar says that India's heartbreaking loss to Australia in the final of the 2023 World Cup may have played a role. “I’m pretty certain that if this were a trip to Zimbabwe or the West Indies, both of them would not have been available. But because this is in Australia, and because India lost to Australia in the World Cup final, maybe that is the reason why both of them have decided, yes, I want to be available for this,” he told India Today. 'They will have to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy' Shubman Gill had been announced as India's ODI captain on Saturday as part of the squad announcement for the series. It ended Rohit's time in the role and thus ended his captaincy tenure in any format. Rohit retired from T20Is last year after leading India to the T20 World Cup title and from Tests just before India's thrilling five-match series in England earlier this year. His last act as ODI captain was leading India to victory in the 2025 Champions Trophy. Rohit will be 40 by the time the 2027 World Cup arrives while Kohli will be 37. Gavaskar said that it will be tricky for the veterain pair to stay in contention for selection in the squad that plays the tournament unless they play domestic cricket. Agarkar himself noted that the number of ODIs that teams play every year has dwindled and every player needs to take part in domestic cricket whenever they are available. “It depends to a great extent on the number of one-day matches that India plays over the next couple of years. Look, it’s not easy to be playing just seven or eight ODIs in a season while preparing for something as big as a World Cup. For those eight white-ball matches, there are probably five T20s and three ODIs. That is not giving much in terms of exposure or practice for players who are approaching the latter stages of their careers," said Gavaskar. “They will have to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy in India whenever it’s scheduled, if it doesn’t clash with any international ODI tournaments. That’s one way to stay in trim and maintain match practice,” he said.
