BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla confirms Virat, Rohit's availability for ODIs, says 'no need to...'

The talks surrounding the future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s ODI career have come to rest after Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-president Rajeev Shukla opened up on the topic. Speaking on a podcast, Shukla asserted that BCCI does not force players to retire while also insisting both Virat and Rohit will be available for the next ODI series, which will be played in Australia. Both Rohit and Virat are rumoured to retire from the ODI format, having already called time on their Test and T20I careers.

Rohit-Virat to continue playing in ODIs

"Woh retire kaha hue (When did they retire)? Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will both play one-dayers. So, if they are playing, why are you worried about a farewell series? Yes, they have retired from two formats in phases, but they are playing in ODIs, right? No need to overthink about it," Shukla said on the podcast on the sidelines of the UPT20 as quoted by NDTV.

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"Our policy at BCCI is very clear. We don't tell any player to retire. A player himself makes that call. He has to decide, and we respect that. We can only decide something when it's official. Virat Kohli is extremely fit, and Rohit Sharma has been playing so well. Why are you worried about the farewell?"

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Both Virat and Rohit last played for India during the Champions Trophy 2025 as they helped the Men in Blue to clinch their third title. Since then, the duo has not played for India, having called time on their Test career in May. They also retired from the T20I format in June 2024 after the T20 World Cup, meaning they are only available in ODIs.

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India’s next ODI series is against Australia when they tour Down Under in November. India’s next home series in ODIs will be against South Africa in November, which means the duo will have the opportunity to play on Indian soil.