Ever since Rohit Sharma was removed as India’s ODI captain, the cricketing world has been buzzing with speculation. Social media was flooded with whispers that the upcoming Australia tour might be the farewell series for India’s two modern-day greats - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Fans feared the end of an era was near. But in a major sigh of relief, the BCCI has put those rumours to rest. Both Rohit and Virat, it turns out, have not been informed of any such decision.
After India’s win over West Indies in the second Test in Delhi, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla addressed the media and left no room for confusion.
In an interaction with the media after India beat West Indies in the 2nd Test in Delhi, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla said, "Jaha tak aap baat kar rahe hain ki aakhri series hai, aisa bilkul bhi nahi hai. In baato par nahi jana chahiye, Vo player ke upar hota hai kab vo retirement lena chahe. Ye sab kehna ki unka akhri series hai, ekdul galat hai."
(As far as you’re saying that this will be their last series, that’s absolutely not true. We shouldn’t go by such talk. It’s completely up to the player to decide when he wants to retire. Saying that this is his last series is totally wrong.)
That one statement was enough to bring relief, and a smile, to millions of fans. The message was loud and clear: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are far from done.
Both Rohit and Virat joined Team India’s first batch of players in Delhi before flying out to Australia on October 15. Rohit arrived from Mumbai, while Virat landed from London, looking sharp yet focused as ever.
Fans flocked to the airport to catch a glimpse of their heroes. Selfies, autographs, chants - it was vintage Indian cricket mania. Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul too drew loud cheers, but the loudest roars were unmistakably reserved for the two icons of Indian cricket.
For now, one thing is certain - this is not a farewell tour. The king and the hitman are still here, still hungry, and still writing their legacy, one innings at a time.
The three-match ODI series will be played across Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne from October 19 to 25, setting the stage for a blockbuster clash before the five-match T20 series that follows.
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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