The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to introduce a revised central contract system, under which the Grade A+ category will be discontinued.
The One-Day International format will struggle for survival and relevance after the 2027 World Cup once its bonafide greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma decide to call time, says former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India had advised both veterans to play domestic cricket to remain in contention for ODI selection ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, arrived in Delhi on Tuesday and linked up with rest of the Indian team, many of whom were playing in the two-Test series against West Indies.
Even as the focus remains on the T20 World Cup which is less than a month away, Kohli and Rohit will hog the limelight in the three ODIs over the next seven days.
'We just want them to go out there and do their magic'
Former spinner Amit Mishra backed the inclusion of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to in the 2027 ODI World Cup, saying that there is no one better in the team who can handle pressure better than the legendary duo.
Senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made a grand comeback to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing centuries on the opening day of the one-day tournament on Wednesday.
Former India captain Rohit Sharma described the 2007 T20 World Cup games as his favourite T20 World Cup fixture against Pakistan.
Virat Kohli has two hundreds and a fifty in his last three innings, while Rohit Sharma has a hundred and two fifties in his last four outings.
South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince said the Proteas' ODI side still needs to sharpen its temperament in "clutch moments".
Rohit and Kohli endured a rocky start to the Australia tour with Rohit managing just 8 and 73 in two innings, while Kohli recorded two ducks.
While new young stars have emerged in Indian cricket in the last few years, none can match the monumental batting feats or the electric fan frenzy that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli command.
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
The others to arrive after a delayed flight were K L Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy along with some members of the support staff.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who returned to international cricket for the three-match ODI series against Australia recently, were not considered for India A's three-match one-day series against the touring South Africa A side, beginning in Rajkot on November 13.
On Saturday, Rohit and Virat turned back the clock, delivering a vintage special with their refined strokeplay to silence their critics.
Even Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel had said that both of them might need to play a bit of domestic cricket to get into the groove and could have actually played the India A series.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will need a lot of game time going forward now that they play only one format but a decision on how the two white ball legends will stay in rhythm will be decided once the South Africa ODI series is over, skipper Shubman Gill said on Saturday.
Cricket Australia (CA) announced a net deficit of A$11.3 million ($7.34 million) for the 2024-25 financial year on Thursday, with a steep increase in costs offsetting a jump in revenue from hosting the Border-Gavaskar series against powerhouse India.
Shubman Gill warmly greeted senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of the Indian team's departure to Australia for a white-ball series.
Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop believes that Shubman Gill's captaincy will only grow stronger with the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the upcoming ODI series in Australia, calling their presence "a huge support system" for the young leader.
'The 50-over World Cup is still two and a half years away. It is very important to stay in the present.'
Rohit Sharma hit a magnificent 121, while Virat Kohli stroked 74 in India's emphatic nine-wicket victory against Australia in Sydney.
India's newly-appointed ODI skipper Shubman Gill on Thursday said senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain a part of the team's 2027 World Cup plans as their skill levels and voluminous experience cannot be ignored.
Earlier this week, the duo arrived in Perth with the first batch of the team and practised relentlessly in the nets.
'Will any coach think of keeping out Rohit and Kohli from the ODI team? That means there is something going on within the team against the two players.' Manoj Tiwary, who played 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India, said iconic players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli deserve greater respect.
At this moment, the Indian think tank is doing a tough balancing act of building the team around a new set of players without completely cutting ties with the old guard.
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
According to Cricbuzz, Indian cricketers could collectively be staring at losses of around Rs 150-200 crore in endorsements.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly said Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should continue playing ODIs as long as they are performing.
Stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can extend their careers till the 2027 ODI World Cup if the two Indian superstars continue their age-defying batting efforts, feels New Zealand pace great Tim Southee.
Will India drop Rohit for the Sydney Test and put Kohli on notice? Or will the team management grant the senior pros a final chance to redeem themselves?
There are some speculations over some rejigging in the A+ category following the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from T20 Internationals.
Mumbai cricketer Angkrish Raghuvanshi and a few other local players were present at the training when Rohit had two batting nets session at the All Heart Cricket Academy.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that dealing with the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be a significant challenge for the team.
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for Thursday's second ODI against Australia?
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli among India players to train ahead of ODIs against Sri Lanka
Chappell said the upcoming five-match Test series in Australia "will be as much a battle of wits and endurance as it will be of skill, with each player needing to summon the drive and adaptability of their younger selves."
Shubman Gill has described his appointment as India's ODI captain as the "biggest honour", expressing pride in carrying forward the legacy left by Rohit Sharma, who will play under him in the upcoming three-match series in Australia.
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