New Delhi [India], August 12 : Amidst the media reports of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from ODIs soon, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra said that the Indian heavyweights retired from the wrong format and should have chosen to quit the 50-over format instead of Test cricket due to lack of ODI cricket happening in the present times.
Days after skipper Shubman Gill led India to a brilliant 2-2 draw, reports started emerging that Rohit and Virat could be leaving ODIs as well, with both of them not in plans for the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa and Namibia scheduled for 2027 unless both play domestic 50-over cricket to prove their match fitness and form.
Both cricketers had announced Test retirement ahead of India's tour to England back in May.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, "The truth is that they have said goodbye to the wrong format. They had left T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup, but the story might have been different had they continued to play Tests and said goodbye to ODIs. India played only six ODIs in 12 months before the Champions Trophy."
"There is a possibility that you might play only six Tests in a year, but even if it is only six Tests, it's 30 days of cricket. If only six ODIs are played, it's just six days of cricket over a period of time. It will be more than 100 days from your last IPL match to the next ODI you will play. You are not playing at all. You are not practicing at all," he added.
Chopra also pointed out that the gaps between ODI series these days are also "incredibly huge" and it would be difficult to sustain form, fitness, commitment to diet etc with just a few ODI games.
"A three-match series gets over in seven to eight days. Then the next one would be after three months. Gaps are just incredibly huge, and you won't play first-class cricket in between. It's true that had they continued playing Test cricket and left ODIs, staying in the groove would have been a lot easier," he said.
"When you have retired from Tests, and ODI cricket is not played much, it is not going to make a lot of sense. So just two months of high-intensity IPL, where you would get to play 14 to 16 innings, and then you would play three matches after six months, and then three matches after another three months. I think it is very, very difficult," Chopra observed.
Virat and Rohit are two of the finest ODI players produced by India, with Virat having made 14,181 runs in 302 matches and 290 innings at an average of 57.88, with 51 centuries and 74 fifties. His best score is 183.
On the other hand, Rohit has scored 11,168 runs in 272 matches and 265 innings at an average of 48.76, with 32 centuries and 59 fifties and a best score of 264.
Both last played ODIs in the ICC Champions Trophy, which they won, with Virat scoring 218 runs in five matches at an average of 54.50, with a century against Pakistan and a knock of 84 against Australia in the semifinals being his top contributions. Rohit had a more mixed tournament but nonetheless came in clutch with a title-sealing 76 in the final, ending the tournament with 180 runs at an average of 36.00 and a strike rate of 100.00.
The legendary duo has sustained a sensational run of form since 2023, the World Cup year. Virat has scored 1,710 runs in 37 matches and 34 innings at an average of 61.07, while striking at above 95, with seven centuries and 10 fifties. His best score is 166*.
In 38 ODIs and 37 innings, Rohit has scored 1,714 runs at an average of 48.97, with a stupendous strike rate of 117.24, with three centuries and 12 fifties, with his best score being 131.
Their next ODI assignment will be three matches against Australia, starting from October 19 onwards. With three more ODIs scheduled from November to December against South Africa at home, three against New Zealand in January at home, and a summer tour to England for three ODIs in July, fans would be hoping that Rohit and Virat make the most of these outings with their consistency and reflexes to keep their chances of going to the World Cup alive.