Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to join the Indian national cricket team sooner than expected ahead of their long-awaited return. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were last seen playing for India during the victorious ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign in March 2025.
They also performed impressively in IPL 2025 for their respective teams and even Kohli won his maiden trophy with RCB. They were also preparing for a tour of England, but just before the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy, they suddenly announced their retirement from Test cricket.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aim to return to ODIs
Currently, they are active only in ODI cricket and are aiming to bid adieu to the international stage at the ICC World Cup in 2027. However, India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar has clarified that there is no guarantee that the iconic batsman will be in the squad for the 2027 ICC World Cup.
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Now, Virat and Rohit have been selected in the ODI squad for the third consecutive ODI in Australia and will need to prove that they are still two of the greatest batsmen in the format to stay in contention in this mega event. The Men in Blue will play a total of 27 ODIs before the 2027 ICC World Cup.
The good news comes ahead of the second and final Test against West Indies, which begins on October 10 at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in Delhi, amid uncertainty over how many matches the former Indian captain will be able to play before the world championships.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli reunite with India squad in Delhi
In fact, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to join the national team in Delhi ahead of India’s much-awaited tour of Australia later this month. Newly appointed ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will also join the former captains in the capital.
The Indian team is scheduled to depart in two groups on October 15, with one group flying in the morning and the other group leaving in the evening depending on travel arrangements and ticket availability.
Kohli and Rohit are expected to arrive in New Delhi the day before or on the same day of their departure. India will first land in Perth to begin a three-match ODI series against Australia on October 19, followed by a five-match T20I series.
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“Virat and Rohit are expected to land in the capital on the day of departure or the day before,” PTI quoted a BCCI official as saying.
India-Australia ODI and T20I series schedule
The second ODI will be played at Adelaide Oval on October 23, followed by the third and final match at Sydney’s iconic SCG on October 25. Meanwhile, the five-match T20I series between India and Australia will begin on October 29 at Manuka Oval.
The second match will be held at the MCG on October 31st, and the third match will be held at Bellerive Oval on November 2nd. Games four and five are scheduled for November 6th at Gold Coast Stadium and November 8th at The Gabba respectively.
Notably, India head coach Gautam Gambhir invited the entire Test team for a team dinner at his Rajinder Nagar residence in Delhi ahead of the final Test against West Indies.