Australian captain Pat Cummins, who will miss the upcoming series against India due to a back injury, has made bold statements about Indian cricket stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Cummins said the ODI series would be the last chance for Australian fans to see the batting duo in action on the field.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are set to feature in the ODI leg of India’s white-ball tour of Australia. The veteran duo will be playing in an international cricket match for the first time in eight months. He last represented India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, where the Men in Blue defeated New Zealand in Dubai.
This could be your last chance – Pat Cummins on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
In an interview with JioHotstar, Pat Cummins said that this might be the last chance for Australian fans to see Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play in Australia. He said they receive support from the crowd every time they take the field.
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“Virat and Rohit have been in almost every Indian team for the last 15 years, so this could be the last chance for Australians to see them play here,” Cummins told JioHotstar.
“They are clearly the champions of the Indian game and are always very well supported. Every time we play them, the crowd goes wild,” he added.
It would be a shame to miss the white ball series – Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins will miss India’s white-ball tour, including the five-match T20I series, due to injury. He expressed his disappointment at missing out on the action, adding that it’s hard to miss a high-profile series, especially when large crowds are expected.
“It’s disappointing to miss the white-ball series against India. I think the crowd will be huge. There’s already a lot of excitement building here in Australia,” Cummins said.
“So every time you miss a game you’re disappointed. But missing a big series like this is always a little hard to swallow,” he added.
The last time the Indian team played an ODI series in Australia, they lost 1-2. The Men in Blue struggled in a high-scoring series after the coronavirus lockdown, but avoided a complete whitewash.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma records in Indian ODI cricket
Virat Kohli has scored 14,181 runs in 302 ODIs, including 51 centuries and 74 half-centuries, at an average of 57.88 and a strike rate of 93.34. He ranks third on the all-time scoring list. Kohli scored 2,451 runs in 50 ODIs, including eight centuries, at 54.46 on Australian soil.
Rohit Sharma has scored 11,168 runs in 273 ODIs with 32 centuries and 58 centuries at an average of 48.76. For Australia, he has scored 2,407 runs including 800 runs in 46 matches at 57.31.
The duo helped India win the Champions Trophy, with Rohit captaining the team to victory. However, ahead of the upcoming Australia ODIs, Shubman Gill will be replacing him as India’s new ODI captain. This decision was made with an eye to building towards the 2027 World Cup.
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