Virat Kohli Reflects on His Relationship With Rohit Sharma

According to Virat Kohli, his ongoing conversations with Rohit Sharma have always been centred on the progress of Indian cricket, with both senior players benefiting from each other’s leadership experiences. Kohli spoke with JioStar about these concepts before the first ODI of India’s three-match series against the West Indies, which began on September 27, 2026, at Thiruvananthapuram.

Virat Kohli and Rohit currently only play for India in the 50-over format, having retired from Test and Twenty20 International cricket. As India prepares for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, Shubman Gill leads the ODI team, and the two veterans continue to contribute as senior players in the dressing room.

What factors have changed the leadership dynamics between Virat Kohli and Rohit over time?

Virat Kohli took over as captain of India’s Test team in late 2014, and he succeeded MS Dhoni as limited-overs captain in 2017. In 2022, Rohit was appointed to all-formats captain. Throughout each shift, the two continued to discuss their opinions, with the captain varying his perspective based on the other’s.

Virat Kohli’s impressive ODI record lends credence to those conversations. He is one of the most experienced voices in the Indian team, having scored 14,941 runs at an average of 58.59 over 302 innings, including 54 hundreds, 79 fifties, and a highest score of 183.

How are discussions changing as the 2027 World Cup approaches?

Virat Kohli mentioned that his interactions with Rohit have been more intentional and thorough as the 2027 event near. In addition to the greater team goal of arriving at the tournament in peak form, Kohli has stated that the 2027 World Cup will be his final ICC competition. This brings a personal touch to the preparation discussions.

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Prior to the World Cup, India will play five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in New Zealand, three against Sri Lanka later in 2026, and three against Zimbabwe in early 2027. This will provide the team several opportunities to fine-tune their preparations before the event begins in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Kohli explained how his chats with Rohit had changed tone due to the approaching deadline.

Kunal Rajput