Rohit Sharma, who was dropped as India's ODI captain earlier this month, has worked diligently to improve his fitness ahead of the three-match ODI series in Australia.
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.
Many months into his retirement from T20I and Test format, the 38-year-old right-hander on Tuesday said he is getting used to sitting at home and watching the action unfold on television instead of being part of it.
Former India batter Suresh Raina has backed under-fire national head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying the team's recent poor run in home Tests cannot be attributed to the support staff, as players must shoulder responsibility for the results.
Rohit won the 'Player of the Match' award and the 'Player of the Series' award as well for top-scoring in the series with 202 runs, including a century and a fifty each.
Virat's streak of happiness: Indian batting legend continues scorching run against SA, achieves 11th instance of a remarkable feat
Virat Kohli's elder brother Vikas Kohli took a veiled jibe at India Coach Gautam Gambhir as the team continued to struggle on home soil in the longest format.
The Indian men ruled white-ball cricket, while South Africa ended decades of hurt by winning the World Test Championship at Lord's. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally lifted their maiden IPL title, though the celebrations were dimmed by a deadly stampede. Above all, it was India's women who won a billion hearts by finally adding an ICC World Cup trophy to the cabinet.
Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad hundreds help India set 359-run target in second ODI
Virat Kohli ruled out any possibility of returning to Test or Twenty20 internationals after his player-of-the-match century guided India to a 17-run win over South Africa.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta feels that India's T20I vice-captain Shubham Gill, who is currently struggling to get going in the shortest format, has to play a similar role what Virat Kohli did for so long by consistently holding on to one end.
This knock was Rohit at his best, mixing patience, power, and timing with finesse.
In-form Kohli, Rohit go hard in nets ahead of 2nd ODI against South Africa
Potential windfall for women's squad: BCCI might match prize money of T20 WC winning men's team
'Someone like Virat Kohli, that's a once-in-a-generation sort of player.'
India will be bolstered by the return of former captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - both of whom have retired from Test cricket - adding more depth and experience to the side.
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.
In a rain-marred contest at Canberra, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav lit up the night with a couple of towering sixes - enough to take him into an elite club of T20I power-hitters, becoming only the second Indian after Rohit Sharma to reach 150 sixes in the format.
Rohit spent nearly a week at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru last month
Ravichandran Ashwin said that while everyone wants Virat Kohli back playing Tests for India, his decision to retire was his choice, and it should be respected.
K L Rahul on Saturday conceded that Indian batters' repeated struggles against spin, especially on home tracks, remain a concern.
The hype around Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's much-awaited return to international cricket quickly gave way to disappointment in Perth, as both faltered against Australia's fast bowlers in the first ODI after an eight-month hiatus.
Fans thronged the airport to catch a glimpse of the 38-year-old, who stopped graciously to sign autographs and pose for selfies before heading home.
The 38 year old will be seen in action in the upcoming ODI series against Australia, for which he was filmed training in the nets last week.
'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
Shubman Gill joined an unwanted list following the loss to Australia in the first ODI at Perth, becoming the second Indian skipper after Virat Kohli and overall ninth captain to lose their first matches in all three formats as captain.
I won't be able to play freely if I focus on criticism: Harshit Rana
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
Rani Rampal, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag also posted their wishes and pictures on X.
Former India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri reflected on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's below-par showing in the first ODI against Australia in Perth.
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.
Virat Kohli confirms his availability for Vijay Hazare Trophy
To be or not to be could well be the dilemma in Shubman Gill's mind as he crisscrosses formats, having tweaked his technique from an unorthodox style to a more classical one that is not quite yielding the returns he may have envisaged in T20 Internationals.
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar decoded the dismissal of Rohit Sharma and identified that aggression, a forte of the veteran swashbuckler, was his undoing in the first ODI against Australia in Perth at the Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Rahul Dravid had backed Shubman Gill to become India's all-format captain four years ago.
'The 50-over World Cup is still two and a half years away. It is very important to stay in the present.'
Rohit Sharma became the seventh Indian to complete 100 catches in One-Day Internationals, while young speedster Harshit Rana went level with decorated spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the record of most wickets for India after a player's first eight ODIs, in the third and last match of the series against Australia, in Sydney, on Saturday.
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday stressed that each and every bilateral assignment will be "very important" now for stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as India look ahead to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
After taking a dig at former India skipper Rohit Sharma on his fitness, Congress leader Shama Mohamed, on Wednesday, again sparked controversy, drawing a religious angle to cricketer Sarfaraz Khan's omission from the India and India A squads announced recently by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
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