Should Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli play the India A vs South Africa A series?

What’s next for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli? That’s the burning question at the moment. Although the modern greats signed off in style in Australia, where do they go from here? With increasing age and decreasing matches, it’s pertinent that Rohit and Kohli remain ready for the rigours of international cricket.

Rustiness bound to happen

Both showed rust early on in Australia, which wore off by the time the 3-match series ended. But if they keep coming back to ODI cricket after long breaks, how can they hit the ground running? Yes, they are masters of the format, but just like a sword will rust if unused, they’ll need time to regain form if they don’t play competitive cricket.

N number of net sessions can’t replace time spent in the middle. Since they only play one format now, having retired from T20Is in June 2024 and Tests in May 2025, perhaps they need to ply their trades in domestic cricket to remain sharp. Surely, 2 months of white-ball cricket, vis-à-vis the Indian Premier League (IPL), isn’t enough practice.

What’s Shubman Gill’s opinion on the matter

This isn’t just an opinion of a random cricket enthusiast, either. India’s ODI captain, Shubman Gill, also feels the same. After the Australia ODI series ended, Gill hinted that the management would convene with the selectors about the matter. But an interesting point was that Gill added that it’ll happen after the India vs South Africa ODI series.

“I think till now there is no talk about this, but I think after the South Africa series, there will be a gap; there will be a gap till the New Zealand series, so I think then we will see how to keep the players in touch, so then I think a decision will be taken,” Gill had told reporters in Sydney on October 25.

This means Rohit and Kohli won’t be officially told to play the India A vs South Africa A series, which will commence on November 13 in Rajkot. But the question that arises then is, should they willingly tell the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that they wish to play?

Play against South Africa A, for yourself

From the Australia to South Africa series, there’ll be a 36-day break of no competitive cricket for them. But if they willingly decide to play against South Africa A, they’ll be well prepared for the main series. Now, you’ll say, ‘Rohit and Kohli don’t need to prove anything and therefore it doesn’t matter whether they play an ‘A’ series.’

But that isn’t exactly correct. Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar has already labelled Rohit and Kohli as non-committal for the 2027 ODI World Cup. That tournament is their end goal; it’s why they are still playing international cricket. That means they’ll be judged on their performance and not on their name or past accolades.

To give themselves a good chance, Rohit and Kohli should play all the domestic cricket they can. Whether it be an ‘A’ series or the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT). But ultimately, it’s up to them. They can choose to play against South Africa A, but after that, the BCCI will decide what needs to be done.

Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli’s potential schedule

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