RO-KO Era Over?
The Indian Selection Panel, headed by Ajit Agarkar, has announced the Indian squad for the upcoming white ball tour of Australia. Decisions made in the selections have Indian Fans ask the question of whether this is the end of the Road for the RO-KO (Rohit Sharma– Virat Kohli) Era in white ball cricket. With the 2027 World Cup in mind, has the selector’s shock omission sparked Endgame talk for the veterans?
Introduction
After winning the ICC T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy, Rohit Sharma became one of the most successful captains, winning two ICC trophies in 1 year. He also took India to the Finals of the last ICC World Cup (ODI). Post a successful 2024-25 season, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (RO-KO) retired from T20 and Test Cricket Formats to give way for youngsters to come up the ranks. With only the ODI format, their sights were focused on the 2027 ICC World Cup. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (RO-KO) are the leading run scorers in the ODI format who are currently playing the game.
Change of Guard in Indian Cricket
With the selection committee announcing the Team for the Australian series, a blueprint for the 2027 World Cup with an intentional change of guard is taking shape, with the likelihood of the RO-KO combination missing out on the 2027 ODI World Cup probables.
Why have many experts criticised the Australian selection decisions?
Team Selected for the Australian tour
India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
India’s T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (RO-KO) have been named in the ODI squad, but shockingly, Rohit Sharma has been stripped of his ODI Captaincy. This comes after Rohit’s recent success in white-ball cricket as a captain, which makes it a shocking decision to all Rohit Sharma fans. Rohit had led India to the ODI World Cup finals in the last ICC edition.
Indian selectors have named Shubman Gill as captain of the ODI format with the 2027 World Cup in mind.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (RO-KO) not featuring in the T20 and Test formats, their chances of making to the 2027 World Cup squad appear increasingly slim, given the limited number of ODIs scheduled before the ICC event, leaving them with minimal game time to stake a claim.
Why is RO-KO Being “Sidelined”: Key Factors
- One captain for all formats
Suryakumar Yadav will likely pass on the leadership role of the T20 format after the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
The selectors believe that having a single captain facilitates planning and team selection, with a clearer chain of command.
Although not being a certainty in the T20 format, Shubman Gill was picked for the recently concluded T20 Asia Cup squad. Superior T20 players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer were left out to accommodate this change, which made the decision an unpopular one.
The move, however unpopular it may seem, has now made Shubman Gill, a confirmed player in the playing eleven for all three formats of the game. This makes him a candidate to become India’s all-format captain for the future.
- Age of the veteran players
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (RO-KO) are now in their late 30s. Both players will be close to their 40s when the 2027 World Cup begins. This is a clear change of guard from the previous thinking when star players were accommodated in the team on reputation rather than on current form.
The selectors have clearly taken this bold call with the Team’s future in mind.
A paradigm shift in the way is already seen in T20 and Test cricket, with the two veterans now retired. Younger players are now getting more exposure in Tests and T20s.
- Performance-Based Considerations
The selectors have put faith in the young players and have rewarded the young players for their recent performances. Rohit Sharma may find it difficult to find a spot in the team without being a captain.
Similarly, Kohli’s consistency has also dipped, but he may still be considered in the ODIs for now.
- Message to Younger Players & Cultural Reset
Indian selection has been bold and fearless, with young talents given more chances to be part of the Indian squad. The youngsters have been relatively successful and have not been overly dependent on senior players post the T20 World Cup era. There is a change in the way cricket is played today with a younger squad.
- Room for “Opt-Out” vs. Force
Rohit Sharma’s exclusion in the Sydney Test was a message by the selectors that not past records but current form is the criterion to be considered for selection.
The decision has not gone well amongst senior cricket journalists and ex-players who believe Rohit Sharma has been singled out.
The current selection of veteran stars (RO-KO) in the Australian tour is more symbolic and may be a subtle message by the selectors to the veterans.
Implications Going Forward
The BCCI seems to be thinking ahead and planning a squad for the ICC 2027 World Cup. While RO-KO might still be in the scheme of things, their performance in the limited games they play will become very crucial for their careers ahead.
Summary – A Necessary, Painful Transition?
Fans believe that Rohit and Kohli (RO-KO) have been targeted and are not being given a graceful exit. The strained relationship between Kohli and Coach Gambhir could also have been a factor. Moreover, with seniors like Virat and Rohit around, Gambhir will not have total control over the team.
Some sections of the cricketing community have welcomed the decision, noting that Indian cricket has long been criticized for protecting veteran players, often at the expense of deserving younger talent waiting in the wings for an opportunity.
Cricket is a professional sport. Emotions have no place in the way the sport is run.
The move of the selectors could be a path set to follow for Indian cricket in the future. While all expect an easy transition from veterans to the new architects of the future, it seldom happens smoothly, and sometimes knee-jerk calls are the need of the hour.
The sidelining of Rohit Sharma and the marginalization of Virat Kohli reflect a deeper, systemic recalibration in Indian cricket.
Shubman Gill’s elevation as ODI captain emphasizes a firm belief in youth leadership. If his captaincy and performance succeed, the transition and his promotion to the top job will become justified.
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