Will Kohli and Rohit retire from ODIs after Champions Trophy Final? Aakash Chopra reacts

Social media has been abuzz with rumours that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could bid goodbye to ODI cricket after the Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai.

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The batting duo retired from T20Is after winning the 2024 World Cup and it has been speculated that they may also hang up their boots in the 50-over format, to give enough time to the management to build the team for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Aakash Chopra reacts on Kohli, Rohit ODI retirement rumours

Former India opener Aakash Chopra is not sure if retirements are going to happen after the Champions Trophy 2025 final, but he feels if Rohit and Kohli do decide to hang their boots, it will be a bit surprising.

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“It’s entirely up to them. I will be very honest, it’s not going to be easy. In 2025, Kohli’s performance with the bat has been outstanding and Rohit’s has been okay, okay. I won’t say his performance is very good. He might change the scenario by scoring a hundred in the final,” Chopra said on YouTube.

“Someone else even asked me whether they would retire. I said I don’t know. Their retirement after winning the T20 World Cup seemed slightly logical and it was along the expected lines. It wasn’t shocking, but here if they leave both T20Is and ODIs, only Tests will be left then. Will they go down that route? Who knows,” Chopra added.

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“The World Cup (ODI) is still two years away, and two years is a long time. Two years is a longer time when you are not playing the T20 format (T20Is) as well, although, to be fair, many ODIs have been kept in the coming 12 months. So they will remain involved,” he said.

Kohli (36) and Rohit (37) are reaching the fag end of their careers and the Champions Trophy 2025 final provides them a good opportunity to bid goodbye to ODIs on a high, especially if India win. However, they may decide to continue if they feel they will be able to contribute for as long as at least two and half years, till the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The ball will then fall into BCCI’s court to decide on the ODI future of the batting stars. While Kohli has made 217 runs in four matches so far in the Champions Trophy 2025, Rohit has scored just 104. However, his aggressive batting has been quite impactful in opening overs.