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IND vs AUS: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma return to action in Perth on Sunday. (PTI)
Former India opener Aakash Chopra is confident that the upcoming three-match ODI series in Australia will not decide the future of bona fide white-ball legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, he stresses that the start of the series at the pacy Optus Stadium in Perth could pose problems for the senior duo.
“One thing is clear – three matches won’t decide their future. They can’t even decide on their present because they have such a huge fantastic legacy. Their body of work is massive. So how can you say that you can drop them if three matches don’t go good and keep them in the team if they do well in three matches?” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Chopra said he would not want to assess or remark on the two highest active ODI run-scorers, cumulatively bringing over 26,000 runs, on the basis of only three outings in Australia.
“I am not going to be on that kind of boat or ship, and I won’t speculate or anticipate at all because it shouldn’t be done at all. Just think about it, we are talking about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They are absolute white-ball legends,” he said.
With the series starting in Perth, however, Chopra said the veteran duo could be bound for failure as they are returning to competitive action for the first time since the IPL 2025 season.
“I feel the start might not be good in Perth. It’s a big possibility because it is the Optus pitch, there is a lot of bounce, and both are coming out completely cold, and suddenly a ball might come where they get out. If it happens, so be it. Then Adelaide and Sydney will come,” he said
“I want runs to be scored, but, god forbid, even if they aren’t, I don’t think there will be any immediate difference to their life. They will play the South Africa and New Zealand series as well, and if we are discussing this at that time as well, that two series have passed, and what would happen if they don’t score runs in the third as well, then I will entertain this question,” Chopra remarked.
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