Former India opener turned commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from Tests earlier this year have gone against them in the longer term for the selection in ODI squad.
His comment comes in the aftermath of the squad announcement for the upcoming Australia tour, where India will play three ODIs and five T20Is. Rohit was removed as the captain, with Shubman Gill being named as his successor. The future now looks bleak for the duo, who were once viewed as indispensable, and the bat needs to do all the talking if they are to make a trip to South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe for the 2027 World Cup.
Rohit and Virat retired from T20Is after the World Cup win in Barbados last year, and the duo called time on their Test career earlier this year. The Test retirement came as a jolt out of the blue for several fans; however, it was on expected lines for some, considering the horrible run the two had Down Under.
However, with Ajit Agarkar (chairman of selectors) and head coach (Gautam Gambhir) showing that they have the stomach to take hard calls when push comes to shove, the future of Roko surely hangs in the balance. And Chopra believes it is their own doing.
“They have tied their hands themselves. The moment you retire from the Test format, I thought T20 was absolutely par for the course because when you won the World Cup, you retire, that’s fine. But if they had continued playing the Test format, then they would have played a lot more cricket, not just Test cricket, but also first-class cricket elsewhere, and to keep themselves in serious form,” Chopra said on ESPNCricinfo.
