 "The trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja had helped India reach the final of the 2023 ICC World Cup at home, the last time an ICC event had taken place in the ODI format. PTI")
Senior Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja had retired from Twenty20 Internationals after helping Team India win the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean in June last year. And though they have not announced a similar decision for the Champions Trophy that is set to get underway on Wednesday, former India opener Aakash Chopra feels the ninth edition of the ‘Mini World Cup’ might be the final time the three icons feature in an ICC event.
The Indian cricket team has been in a state of transition since the T20 World Cup last year, with Suryakumar Yadav taking over captaincy in the shortest format after Rohit’s retirement and doing a superb job so far as a leader. A similar trend might follow in the Test format, with reports suggesting senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to lead India in red-ball cricket on a full-time basis in the tour of England later this year.
‘There is a strong possibility’: Chopra
Chopra, who had represented India in 10 Tests more than two decades ago, expects a similar transition in the ODI team in the days to come, even if it doesn’t happen right after the Champions Trophy. The only other ICC event taking place this year is the World Test Championship final at Lord’s and the aforementioned trio will not be in action at the ‘Home of Cricket’ as India failed to qualify for the marquee clash .
The next two ICC events are the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year followed by the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja have already retired from the shortest format and will be pushing 40 in the latter.
“I am saying with a heavy heart. There is a strong possibility. The Champions Trophy is about to happen and after that, there will be another ICC event this year, which is the WTC final and we haven’t reached there. So none among Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja will play that,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“After that, the ICC event next year is the T20 World Cup but all three have retired from that format. So all three won’t play there as well. The ODI World Cup will be in 2027, which is a bit too far. The world will look very different by 2027. I think the players also feel this could be their last,” added Chopra, who had represented Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural Indian Premier League.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsRohit remains the captain in One-Day Internationals for now and had recently regained his form as an opener as well as skipper during the three-match series against England that the Men in Blue ended up winning 3-0 , suggesting he is likely to continue in the role for some more time. Virat Kohli too scored a fluent fifty in the third ODI against Jos Buttler’s Englishmen in Ahmedabad, which came as great news for Indian fans ahead of the Champions Trophy.
And by collecting back-to-back three-wicket hauls, Jadeja gave both fans and the team management a reminder that he remained an asset to the side with his left-arm finger spin in addition to being a useful batter down the order and a gun fielder.