After almost a month-long break from international cricket, since the end of the tour of England for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, India have quite a few fixtures lined up, starting with the Asia Cup, where the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will begin their campaign on Wednesday in the UAE. However, fans have their eyes on the upcoming tour of Australia, which will have three ODI matches, besides the T20I contest, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will return to international cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy tournament earlier this year.
Earlier, there were speculations that the two, who have not played competitive cricket since the end of the IPL 2025 season, would warm up for the tour of Australia in the three-match series for India A against Australia A at home. The matches will be played on September 30, October 3 and October 5 at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.
However, The Times of India reported on Tuesday that Kohli and Rohit might skip the India A matches and that the selection committee won’t force the duo to play them. A BCCI official confirmed that they will only take part in the matches if they feel they need some game time ahead of the tour, before adding that they are both available for selection for the contest against Australia.
“See, it’s highly unlikely that they will play the three India A games. No call has been taken on that and it will not be forced upon them either. Only if they need some game time, you could see them play one or even two games before the Australia ODIs. But nothing has been finalised yet. They are very much fit and available for the Australia ODIs,” a senior BCCI official told TimesofIndia.com.
The official further revealed that the selectors currently have a lot on their plates before deciding Kohli and Rohit’s fate, which includes announcing the Irani Cup. While some of the committee members will be attending the Duleep Trophy final in Bengaluru, Ajit Agarkar is currently in the UAE for the Asia Cup.
“Before the selectors decide the India A squad and then the India squads for the Australia tour, the Irani Cup squad will be announced, and some selectors are set to watch the Duleep Trophy final in Bengaluru, while Ajit Agarkar is with the team in Dubai,” added the official.
Both Kohli and Rohit underwent the mandatory pre-season fitness test. While Rohit had travelled to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for the test, alongside other Indian teammates, Kohli had his test conducted in London.
“Those were the routine fitness tests. All the contracted players go through the fitness test twice a year. Nothing unusual there or something which affects or will have a say in selection,” said the official.