Things haven’t looked bright for the veteran duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ever since they won the T20 World Cup earlier this year and retired from T20Is. Both stars, easily India’s best batters, have been rather out of touch in the longest format of the game in the latter half of 2024. Their poor run has fuelled speculations of if Ro-Ko are mulling retirement from Tests as well. Well, hypothetically, let’s say India lose to Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the duo decide to follow Ashwin’s footsteps and call it a day in Tests, what does it do to the morale of both the team and themselves heading into Champions Trophy 2025?
What happens to India’s morale in CT 2025 if Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli retire?
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been below average with the bat this year. While the Indian captain tasted success in the series against England at the start of the year, he has failed to deliver in the last three series. In his last eight red-ball matches, the Hitman has only managed to score 156 runs, sparking concern about his form. His record as a captain has also taken a hit, given that India lost 0-3 to New Zealand at home in an embarrassing fashion as their 12-year streak came to a grinding halt. To make matters worse, Rohit Sharma and co. were handed a 10-wicket thrashing in IND vs AUS 2nd Test in Adelaide, the game where Rohit returned as skipper after missing the 1st Test.
Virat Kohli hasn’t had a bright year either. After missing the series against England, the batting maestro played his first Test of 2024 in the series against Bangladesh. He failed to deliver with the bat at home, with consistent failures against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Well, there were expectations that Kohli would find his golden touch when he goes to Australia – one of his favourite destinations to bat in. However, barring a hundred at Perth, the star has been sub-par and his technique has been severely criticised.
| Player | Matches | Runs |
| Rohit Sharma | 7 | 152 |
| Virat Kohli | 8 | 318 |
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Now, reports are doing rounds that the team management is likely going to take a call on the seniors once the IND vs AUS series is done. Should India lose the series, they have literally no chance to make it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final. This would mean Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could potentially announce their retirement from the longest format of the game. But here’s the catch. In the same month, the duo will once again reunite, this time to be a part of Champions Trophy 2025 as they hunt for perhaps one last title.
If Ro-Ko decide to call it a day from Tests before CT 2025, India’s morale heading into the 50-over tournament is bound to be down. Both Rohit and Kohli will play an integral role in the ODI tournament and will have a lot of work to do, even if it means they are playing their last ICC tournament.
