Virat Kohli has sent out a clear message with his striking centuries in the first and second ODIs at Ranchi and Raipur that he is fit, in form, and still hungry for international cricket. Rohit Sharma also scored a half-century in the Ranchi ODI, and the century stand between the two veterans was one for the ages. Speculation is now rife over whether the two, both in their late 30s, will be in a position to play in the next 50-overs World Cup to be staged in Southern Africa in 2027. But if a week is a long time in politics, then two years is an inordinate time in sports, where form and fitness are fleeting and unpredictable. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was right to tamp down the speculation over Kohli’s future even as he lauded the veteran’s batting and fitness levels, which, for a 37-year-old who has been playing international cricket for eighteen years, are indeed laudable.
Public memory is short. It was in fact just six weeks back in Adelaide that Sharma and Kohli were involved in an unbeaten century stand in the third and final ODI vs Australia that helped India win the match by nine wickets. Sharma was unbeaten on 121 and Kohli on 74, and in the Champions Trophy match against Pakistan in Dubai in February, Kohli’s 100 not out took India home by six wickets in a tournament which they won. So Kohli’s two tons on the trot should not have come as a total surprise. Contrasting too—the Ranchi one being the more aggressive and the Raipur one more subdued, but both brilliant nonetheless. One resulted in a win for India; the other ended in defeat. Now comes the decider at Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Both Kohli and Sharma have retired from the other two international formats, Tests and T20s, and Kohli this year, after guiding Royal Challengers Bangalore to their maiden IPL title, moved his family to London, though he still keeps in prime fitness and practises regularly.
Things have become somewhat murky in the Indian camp, as it is no secret the two West Delhi boys, head coach Gautam Gambhir and Kohli, have a frosty relationship. It is thought the coach and chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, may have been behind the retirements of both Sharma and Kohli from those two formats. Whether they jumped before they were pushed is open to debate. But rather than speculate over dressing room gossip, cricket fans would be well advised to sit back and enjoy the sublime batsmanship of the two veterans in the winter of their storied careers.
