'Kohli greatest white ball player; Rohit not far behind'

Hard hitting Australia opener Travis Head expects the "great white ball" duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to carry on till the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The speculation over their future has been intense and all eyes will be on the star Indian batters in the ODI series, starting in Perth on Sunday.

Speaking to media alongside India spinner Axar Patel, Head said he would put his money on Rohit and Kohli featuring in the ODI World Cup two years later, even though the upcoming series is expected to be their last in Australia.

"Two quality players, two of the great white-ball players. Probably, Virat is the greatest white-ball player. Rohit is probably not far behind. 

"As someone who opens batting in the same format, holds huge regard for Rohit and what he's been able to do. So, I'm sure they will miss them at some stage, but I think they're both going to be 37, aren't they?" said Head while standing alongside Axar.

India and Australia play each other frequently across formats and the players of both teams know each other well also because of the IPL. However, Head has never got the chance to speak to Rohit about batting and it is something he hopes to do in the near future.

"It's nice just watching from afar, as someone who plays the game in a similar way, I think, and having played a lot against

him in IPL and a lot of international cricket against him, I feel like he goes the right way about things, he plays the game in the right way. 

"But, yeah, I've never really come in contact with him, haven't had the opportunity to play with him anywhere. But, yeah, there might be an opportunity, but like I said, I think he's going to play for a little bit longer and have the opportunity to play in India a few bits, so that opportunity may come," said the southpaw.

Head was non-committal when asked whether he would play all eight white ball games against India considering the Ashes is round the corner.

On Cameron Green being ruled out of the India series, Head said it is more of a precautionary measure ahead of the Ashes.

"I'm sure he's (Green) going all right. He's in good hands. I haven't spoken to him just yet, so it's pretty new. So, yeah, work through it. It's like nothing else with some guys, getting some injuries. We've got, obviously, Josh (Hazlewood) in the same position as well.

"So, yeah, work through that. But, unfortunately, we're not going to have him. I don't think it'll have any impact on the Ashes. It's more disappointing that he's not here at the moment for the next three games," said Head.

He expects the series to be highly competitive like it often has been in the past.

"Yeah, always a big series. If you look at the guys playing the series, eight games, it's against highly skilled opposition. So, it's a very exciting  start to the summer," he added.