Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be the obvious draw when Shubman Gill-led India face the West Indies in the first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
The senior duo’s last game time was the Lord’s ODI against England in July, where Rohit hit a fabulous 138 and Kohli a 74, in a losing cause.
For Kohli, his level of fitness and current form make the scenario a tad easier compared to that of Rohit, who was under a bit of pressure before hitting back with the century. Kohli’s place in India’s squad for next year’s ODI World Cup looks assured, unless he sustains an injury or becomes indisposed, but can the same be said about Rohit?
When it comes to fielding, agility and reflexes, Rohit isn’t quite the same, something even the most passionate of his fans may agree upon.
Batting-wise too, he needs to continue with meaningful contributions in these
Windies ODIs to avoid resurfacing of any noise over his future.
Rohit’s presence in the top order means young Yashasvi Jaiswal will have to
keep warming the bench. But for Team India, more experience in the dressing
room going into the 2027 World Cup carries bigger significance.
“It’s all about selling experience. They (Rohit and Kohli) always do that,” batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said on Saturday, the eve of the first ODI.
“Whenever I have seen the experienced players… when they see some player is going through a similar condition or situation, they always talk to them. We take everybody’s advice and think about how we need to start preparing if we bat or bowl first.”
To talk of captain Gill, he’s better at present after hurting his right elbow during Friday’s training and should be able to play on Sunday.