Rohit & Virat Shine, But Gambhir Reminds: “World Cup Is Two Years Away”
India won the ODI series against South Africa 2-1. Player of the Series Virat Kohli showed he still has plenty of potential. Rohit Sharma's performance also answered questions about his fitness and age.
Ankush Pandey
Despite this, head coach Gautam Gambhir believes these performances shouldn't be overly analyzed in the context of the next 50-over World Cup, which is two years away.
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Gambhir said after the 9-wicket win over South Africa in the third ODI, "They are world-class players and their experience matters a lot in the dressing room. They have been doing this for a long time. Hopefully, they will continue that, which is very important in the 50-over format."
However, he also clarified that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be given opportunities whenever possible, even if Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer return to the ODI team.
When Gambhir was asked about the status of these two senior players (Virat and Kohli) in the context of the World Cup 2027 , he said, "First of all you have to understand that the ODI World Cup is still two years away. It is important to stay in the present, and also that the young players coming into the team should capitalise on their opportunities."
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He stated that Ruturaj Gaikwad has changed his batting order to suit the team's needs. He said, "Ritu (Gaikwad) batted out of his usual position, but he's a quality player. We wanted to give him this opportunity because he was in excellent form while playing for India A. He grabbed the opportunity under pressure, and the century he scored was truly exceptional. Yashasvi, too, is known for his quality, especially in Test cricket. This is just the beginning of his career, especially in white-ball cricket. Hopefully, he and Ritu have a bright future."
Even after retiring from Test and T20 cricket, Kohli and Rohit remained under scrutiny. Both showed signs of improved form during the Australia tour. After domestic cricket was made a condition for selection, both responded with strong performances in the series against South Africa. Kohli scored two centuries and an unbeaten 65 off 45 balls, while Rohit scored two half-centuries.
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Discussion on the performance of Rohit and Virat
Virat Kohli scored two centuries and a half-century in three matches. "Virat Kohli has come to ODI cricket with a mission. High-class batting."
Following India's victory in the ODI series against South Africa, Irfan Pathan expressed his views on Virat Kohli's batting on social media platforms.
By batting at an impressive average of 151 in the three matches of this series, Virat Kohli has not only answered all the questions surrounding him but has also signaled his commitment to the ODI World Cup 2027.
Rohit Sharma's impressive batting performance in the second consecutive series has demonstrated that it will no longer be easy for the selectors to ignore him.
After losing the Test series against Australia earlier this year, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were targeted by critics. However, in the Champions Trophy played in February-March, both batsmen played a key role in India's victory.
However, the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli just before the England tour shocked fans. Following this, Rohit Sharma was also removed from the ODI captaincy just before the Australia series.
Rohit Sharma, however, proved his form and fitness by winning the Player of the Series award in the Australia series. He continued that streak by scoring two half-centuries in the three-match series against South Africa.
"I haven't been able to play like this for two or three years."
This series was crucial for Virat Kohli. He had failed to open his account in the first two matches of the three-match series against Australia.
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Virat Kohli scored centuries in the first two matches of the series, taking his ODI century tally to 53, once again demonstrating his unmatched performance in this format.
India faced a mere 271 runs in the third match. Due to the excellent batting of Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli was denied a chance to score a century, but he remained unbeaten on 65 off 45 balls.
After scoring 302 runs in the three-match series, including 12 sixes, Virat Kohli admitted that he hadn't been able to bat in the style he was known for in recent years.
The satisfaction of his excellent performance in the series was evident on his face when he received the Player of the Series award.
Virat Kohli said, "Honestly, this series has been very satisfying for me. I feel a lot of relief in my mind. I haven't been able to play like this for the last two or three years."
"When you play for 15 or 16 years, you start to doubt yourself and make mistakes. But I'm happy that I'm still able to contribute to the team's victories. When I play without pressure, I can hit sixes. There are always levels ahead of you that you can reach."
'There is no batsman who can time it better than Kohli'
Virat Kohli's batting is now showing glimpses of his old ways.
It's because of Virat Kohli's brilliant batting that everyone is talking about him the most on social media after the series ended.
Shubham Agarwal, an ESPN Cricinfo employee, wrote on the social media platform X, "I haven't seen a batsman who times the cricket ball better than Virat Kohli. His range of shots is immense."
Nitish Yadav praised Virat Kohli on the social media platform, writing, "Virat Kohli was the Player of the Series in the series against South Africa. His batting was unmatched throughout the series. He batted brilliantly."
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A user named Harshit wrote on the social media platform X, "Virat Kohli scored 302 runs in the series. What an amazing batting performance. With his centuries, he played a crucial role in the team's victory."
'I'm happy for both of us'
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma now play only ODI cricket.
While Rohit Sharma didn't score a century in this series, he did achieve two major milestones. Not only did he become the cricketer with the most sixes in ODI cricket, but he also became the fourth player to score more than 20,000 runs for India in international cricket.
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Irfan Pathan wrote on the social media platform Instagram, "At 38, Rohit Sharma has amazing consistency. He looks completely in control."
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have scored the most runs for India in ODI cricket this year.
Virat Kohli has scored 651 runs in 13 innings this year, while Rohit Sharma has scored 650 runs in 14 innings.
Referring to his and Rohit Sharma's good performance, Virat Kohli said, "I wanted to do something special for the team. We have done the same for the team for so many years. Because we have always played according to the team's needs."
"That's how we can play according to the situation. I'm happy for both of us because we were able to help the team and will continue to do so."
