3 reasons why this is the perfect time for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to retire from ODIs

India’s win against New Zealand in the final saw them come out as the worthy winners of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The legendary duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have added yet another ICC Winners Medal to their collection.

There has been a lot of speculation in the media regarding the ODI futures of the duo and the latest update is that ‘Ro-Ko’ are could well be around till the 2027 World Cup. This would be music to the ears of fans and sponsors alike but will it really be in the best interest of the Indian team and its chances of winning the marquee event in 2027?

Here we explore 3 reasons why it would be a better idea for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to announce their retirement right now from ODIs at least, when they are on a high after the Champions Trophy win.

Declining abilities

Virat Kohli scored 218 runs at an average of 54.5 in the Champions Trophy while Rohit Sharma was the player of the match in the finals with a superb 76 that helped India nail a tricky run chase. However these performances mask the horrendous run the duo have suffered from in the disastrous Test series losses to New Zealand and Australia.

While those were Test matches and the World Cup will be in the ODI format, the duo’s declining abilities cannot be hidden any more. India were lucky that the slow and spin-friendly pitches of Dubai ensured that they did not have to post a 300+ total.

The 2027 World Cup will be held in different venues of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; each nation having varying conditions. Can the duo still be relied upon to set up or chase down 325+ totals in crucial games at the tournament?

The evidence from the last 12 months shows that Virat Kohli has the fitness to run quickly between the wickets and consistently score 1s and 2s but has regressed in his abilities to play against accurate spin and out-swing bowling, not to mention his lack of power-hitting abilities.

Rohit Sharma on the other hand can still smash sixes at the top of the order but lacks the fitness and stamina to go beyond a quick 20 or 30; his CT final knock was an exception not a norm. Even in the final, he ran out of steam at the halfway stage of the innings and it was left to other batsmen to get India over the finishing line.

Both batters will be around 40 in 2027 and are likely to decline further in reflexes, skills and physical attributes. It is doubtful if they can set a platform for a 6+ run-rate total or see off tough swinging conditions early in the innings on a consistent basis.

Nothing to prove anymore

Virat Kohli now has been part of the winning teams of an ICC ODI World Cup, an ICC T20 World Cup and two Champions Trophies. He has the highest number of centuries in ODI history and more than 14000 runs.

Rohit Sharma has won two T20 World Cups and two Champions Trophies. It will not hurt his legacy even if he does not win an ODI World Cup. He has led two ICC trophy winning teams, has the highest individual ODI score of 264 and has 11000+ ODI runs to his name.

Both wisely decided to call time on their T20 careers after the 2024 World Cup win so it makes sense to retire from ODIs after winning another ICC trophy. Steve Smith of Australia, who is younger than the duo and who also has a strong ICC trophy record, announced his ODI retirement after his team’s semi-final exit in the 2025 CT.

Upcoming youngsters

In India’s most recent tour to South Africa in 2023, a young Indian team led by KL Rahul won the ODI series 2-1. 23-year-old then-debutant B Sai Sudharsan was India’s highest run scorer in that series with 127 runs including two fifties and an average of 63.

Sudharsan has not played a single international match after that tour. Yashasvi Jaiswal, touted as the next big thing in Indian batting after a great start to his Test and T20I careers, has played only one ODI. There are other youngsters such as Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh who have done well in T20Is and merit a place in the ODI setup.

And finally there are more established names such as Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant who should be given a chance to prove their mettle in a post-RoKo world under someone like a KL Rahul.

Many of these players would be near their peak in the 2027 World Cup and should be allowed gain adequate experience playing against different opponents under different conditions in the two-and-a-half years before the event.

It should not be the case that injury or poor form leads to the superstar duo’s absence in the 2027 squad and India are left with an inexperienced batting line up.

Rohit and Virat themselves were a product of bold selectorial decisions in 2007-08 that helped India win the 2007 T20 WC, the 2008 CB Series in Australia and eventually the 2011 World Cup. Now is the perfect time to pass on the torch to the next generation.