Mumbai, October 14: BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla has dismissed rumours that veteran Indian cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will retire after the upcoming Australia tour. India is set to play a three-match ODI and five-match T20I series in Australia, starting October 19.
The rumours about the two stars retiring from ODIs circulated widely ahead of the tour. Both Kohli and Rohit had earlier retired from T20Is and Test cricket, and will now play only in the 50-over format.
Shukla clarified that the claims of their retirement are completely false and stressed the importance of having both players in the squad. He said:
“This is very beneficial for us (Rohit and Virat being in the ODI squad). Because both of them are great batsmen, and in the presence of both of them, I think we will be successful in defeating Australia. And as far as this being their last series is concerned, it is nothing like that. We should never go into these things” Shukla told ANI.
“It is up to the players when they would retire. To say this would be their last series is absolutely wrong,” he added.
The upcoming Australia tour will mark Rohit and Kohli’s return to international cricket after retiring from Tests in May.
Before the upcoming limited-overs series, the selection committee had named young opener Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain, taking over from Rohit Sharma, who led India to the Champions Trophy victory in March 2025.
The move is part of a long-term strategy by the selection committee, with the next ODI World Cup two years away. By handing over the leadership to Gill now, the team aims to give him enough time to prepare for the mega event while still benefiting from the experience of Rohit and Kohli.
