Emotions were at all time high at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, October 25 as fans got to witness Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma batting together, possibly for the final time down under. The former captains rolled back the years by displaying a batting masterclass to help India win the last ODI match of the three-match series and avoid a whitewash on Australian soil.
As Kohli and Rohit walked off the field, one of the commentator was seen in tears inside the commentary box while the other one can be heard saying “Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on their last night in Australia. Not even Mick Jagger and Keith Richards could have played it better. Kohli and Rohit...the night is theirs. Rohit, 121 not out. Kohli, 74 unbeaten, as India win by nine wickets,” .The touching moment instantly went viral across social media.
The third and final ODI between India and Australia saw the veteran duo, reunited at the crease after skipper Shubman Gill departed after a solid opening stand. Kohli was given a heartfelt introduction from the commentary box.
“Standby, because while the skipper is departing, the king is about to arrive for the very last time on Australian shores in Indian colours. Ladies and gentlemen… here he is, Virat Kohli,” announced Adam White on SEN Cricket.
“As you'd expect, as we always see, he marches out with purpose. Arguably the best one-day record in the history of the game,” added White, before fellow commentator Trent Copeland pitched in “You got to pinch yourself occasionally, don't you Whitey? That we're here for this moment. This guy has been at the centre of seismic shifts in cricket. Unquestionably the best one-day record.”
RoKo stop Australia from inflicting series whitewash
In what could have been his final innings on Australian soil, Rohit Sharma produced yet another batting masterclass, scoring an unbeaten 121 his 33rd ODI century while Kohli, after twin ducks earlier in the series, returned to form with an assured 74 not out. The pair’s unbroken 168-run stand sealed a dominant nine-wicket win for India.
Following the win Rohit spoke to Ravi Shastri and Adam Gilchrist in post post-match show where he spoke about whether he will return to play in Australia for one more time. He said, “Always love coming here and playing here. Fond memories of 2008. Don’t know if we’ll be coming back to Australia. We enjoy our cricket no matter what accolades we achieve. We started afresh in Perth. That's how I look at things"
Soon after the game, Rohit took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted a cryptic message: “One last time, signing off from Sydney”, accompanied by a picture of him walking into the airport.
