Rohit & Virat decline offer to play in England

London/New Delhi: Having retired from T20 and Test cricket, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are currently enjoying a golden period with their families, with the next ODI series still some time away and the IPL nine months down the road. In the meantime, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made them an offer — which both politely turned down.

Rohit Sharma, who holds the world record for the highest individual score in an ODI (264) and three double centuries in the format, and Virat Kohli, widely regarded as the king of one-day cricket, were invited by the ECB to participate in this year’s Royal London One-Day Cup, believing they were still active in the 50-over format. However, both senior Indian cricketers have declined to take part.

Speculation in India suggests that with the 2027 ODI World Cup still far away, Rohit and Virat might either retire from the format themselves before then, or the Indian cricket board might adopt a youth-oriented approach for the tournament, which could naturally phase them out.

The two were expected to return to the field soon, but the ODI series against Bangladesh has been postponed due to strained political relations between the two nations. They are now likely to be seen in action during the series against Australia in October.

It is also possible that Rohit and Virat might play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to maintain match fitness. Although they generally do not feature in domestic cricket anymore, last year the BCCI mandated that all players participate in the Ranji Trophy, and given that precedent, they might choose to play some domestic matches this year.