In just five days, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced they are retiring from Test cricket. This happened just a few weeks before the team meeting to pick players for the England tour in late June. They had already stopped playing T20 internationals after India won the World Cup in June 2024 in Barbados.
Now, they will only play ODIs, which is the format they have been best at. Rohit ended his Test career on May 7, ending months of talk about whether he would continue playing or leading the team. Kohli did the same the next Monday, sharing an emotional message on Instagram.
Both announcements came while the cricket world was taking a short break during the 2025 IPL. Fans will probably see Kohli and Rohit play in India’s tour of Bangladesh in August, or October if it’s delayed. They will stay active for the 2026 T20 World Cup and 2027 ODI World Cup.
India’s ODI Schedule for 2025 (Based on ICC FTP)
Bangladesh vs India, August 2025 – 3 ODIs (August 17-23)*
Australia vs India, October 2025 – 3 ODIs (October 19-25)
India vs South Africa, Nov-Dec 2025 – 3 ODIs (November 30-December 6)
India vs New Zealand, January 2026 – 3 ODIs
India vs Afghanistan, June 2026 – 3 ODIS
India vs West Indies, September 2026 – 3 ODIs
New Zealand vs India, Oct-Nov 2026 – 3 ODIs
India vs Sri Lanka, December 2026 – 3 ODIs
Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Feature in the 2027 World Cup?
After a tough Australia tour, many thought the Champions Trophy might be the end for Rohit and Kohli’s international careers. Fans feared they’d retire from ODIs too if India won, like after the T20 World Cup in Barbados. But both proved the doubters wrong with strong performances in Dubai.
A month later, Virat Kohli said he’s aiming for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa. Rohit Sharma also expressed his desire to make up for the 2023 World Cup final loss but stayed careful about confirming his participation.
“It will be good if that happens,” Rohit said on wanting to avenge the 2023 loss in 2027.
However, after a moment of hesitation, he acknowledged that external factors significantly influence whether he gets selected for the team.
“Are yeh sab kya puch rahein ho? Yeh sab mein nehi sochta. Apne zabardasti bulwa diya. I just told you that I don’t think that far ahead. But these are big things. Who wouldn’t want to play the World Cup? Would I say I want to sit at home? I would want to play, but a lot of things depend, like my form and how I manage myself,” he added.
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