The last time India were in Dubai, in February-March, Rohit Sharma was still a two-format player internationally. The skipper led from the front in every way conceivable at the 50-over Champions Trophy, revived after eight years, with a flurry of PowerPlay boundaries on pitches where stroke-making became increasingly difficult once the two white balls got softer, to mastermind an unbeaten run that ended with a convincing defeat of New Zealand in the title round.
Having produced cameos throughout the competition, the Mumbaikar saved his best for last, unleashing his fury with the field restrictions in place before dialling down his aggression once the Kiwi spinners operated in tandem. He eventually lost patience during a particularly quiet passage of play, charging left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra, attempting an uncharacteristically ugly swipe and being easily stumped for 76. By then, the captain had set the tone, though India still needed the composure and experience of their middle order — Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, K.L. Rahul and Hardik Pandya — to coast to a four-wicket win with an entire over to spare. Rohit’s impact on the title clash was cemented with the Player-of-the-Final award.
Rohit-led India ended its long wait for a global ODI title in the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
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FILE PHOTO: AP
Less than three months after wrapping his hands around the Champions Trophy, Rohit bid adieu to Test cricket, in the middle of IPL 2025. Having already given up 20-over cricket internationally after the stirring World Cup triumph in Bridgetown in June last year, Rohit is now active as an India player only in the 50-over version. India haven’t played a One-Day International since the Champions Trophy and for now, there is no indication – yet – that Rohit won’t line up, as leader, when the team travels to Australia next month for three ODIs, to be followed by five T20Is. It’s premature to say if that tour will be his swansong, no matter the chatter that indicates so. In any case, for the next six months at least, the longer white-ball iteration will only be an afterthought, what with the next T20 World Cup due to be staged in India and Sri Lanka in February-March.
That Rohit isn’t leaving any stone unturned in his endeavour to be the best version of himself for the short tour Down Under and beyond is evident from the work he has put in when it comes to his body and his batting in the last few weeks. The 38-year-old arrived at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru last week looking leaner and fitter than in recent times and there was little evidence of rust having crept into his batting even though he hasn’t played competitively since June 1. Rohit is hailed as one of the greatest limited-overs batters of all time with good reason. No one has scored more T20I centuries than him – he sits atop the pile alongside Glenn Maxwell with five hundreds – and he ranks third in the list of ODI centurions with 32 three-figure knocks, behind only compatriots Virat Kohli (51) and Sachin Tendulkar (49).
The 17th edition of the Asia Cup, which begins on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi with Afghanistan locking horns with Hong Kong, is the first continental or global white-ball tournament since Rohit’s debut in 2007 at the inaugural T20 World Cup that India will be entering without the services of both Rohit and his predecessor, Kohli. In every World Cup or Asia Cup in either format, at least one of the two has kept the flag flying over the last 18 years. They haven’t quite been missed in India’s last five T20I series since their retirements (as well as that of Ravindra Jadeja). But whether Suryakumar Yadav’s men are able to sustain their 20-over dominance will become apparent over the next three weeks when the defending Asia Cup champions will encounter stiff resistance from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, now more than a dark horse after having added batting brain and brawn to go with their wonderful bowling skills.
Rohit’s career took off once he started to open the innings in ODI cricket.
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FILE PHOTO: AP
Rohit was a revelation once a stop-start white-ball career found a second win in January 2013, upon his elevation as opener in the 50-over game. In the middle order, he often walked in against a softer ball and struggled to make an impression with the field spread out. His talent was never in question, but he mainly flattered to deceive. Because there was a lacuna at the top following the retirement of Tendulkar and diminishing returns from Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, Mahendra Singh Dhoni took a gamble by thrusting Rohit to the top of the tree in the home series against England. The rest, as they say, is history.
Rohit formed a spectacular combine with Shikhar Dhawan, the two complementing each other superbly and outdoing themselves in ICC events such as the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. It was inevitable that Rohit’s great form of ODIs would spill over to the T20s as well; while the double-hundreds flowed in the former, there was no paucity of three-figure efforts in the latter, buttressing his reputation as one of the most prolific and dangerous white-ball openers in the history of the game.
When Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri reprised the Dhoni-Duncan Fletcher move of 2013 by promoting Rohit as Test opener in October 2019, the right-hander responded in like fashion, with twin hundreds in his first outing at the top against South Africa in Visakhapatnam just the first of many superb hands. Rohit didn’t touch the same dizzying heights in Test cricket as he did in its two white-ball siblings, though he did sign off with an average of 40.57 which, without being standout, is hardly trifling (not to compare, but celebrated former England captain and opener Mike Atherton’s Test average, after 115 matches, was 37.69 – just saying).
Rohit was on a sporting pilgrimage to England in the summer, watching the action at Wimbledon and dropping in for the third day’s play in India’s final Test against England at the Oval. Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrated his hero’s presence with a special second hundred of the series that received a thumbs up from his former Test captain, but one look at him at the CoE was enough confirmation that Rohit isn’t content with just being an onlooker.
There is some talk that Rohit and Kohli will be included in the India ‘A’ side to play three one-dayers against Australia ‘A’ in Kanpur between September 30 and October 5, as preparation for the ODIs in Australia. That won’t be the worst idea; after all, neither virtuoso has played competitively since the first week of June and as anyone worth his salt will agree, no amount of batting in the nets, however intense, committed and smart, can replicate a game scenario.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has made a concerted effort to get its contracted players to play at the domestic level at every possible opportunity. By getting Rohit and Kohli to play for the ‘A’ side, the BCCI will achieve the twin objectives of giving their two most experienced batters the chance to ease themselves back into action and putting their money where their mouth is.
India can still eke plenty out of Rohit and Kohli in ODI cricket for the time being. But whether one or both of them will be seriously in their scheme of things for the next 50-over World Cup, which is two years away, is another matter altogether. Rohit will be 40-plus by then and Kohli will turn 39 midway through that African safari. India’s immediate attention is on the T20 World Cup, with a title defence on the line. While broad plans are perhaps already in place as far as the longer World Cup is concerned, firmer contours won’t appear until after March 2026, though anything that transpires between now and March should not come as a shock either.
It’s impossible that the likes of Pandya and Axar, who were both influential forces like wrist-spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, wouldn’t have allowed their minds to go back six months and reflect on the glorious run at the Champions Trophy during their two practice sessions at the ICC Academy Oval on Friday and Saturday. Throughout the tournament, barbs were flung at the Indian team for no fault of theirs.
Decision-makers way above their pay grade ruled out India travelling to Pakistan for the tournament, which meant all of India’s matches were played in Dubai. Because they had the luxury of staying put in one place for the entire duration of their campaign and were saved the hassle of packing and flying, they did enjoy some advantage, undoubtedly, but that’s the hand one is sometimes dealt. India were by far the strongest team in the competition; there is a reason why, in the last three ICC tournaments, all under Rohit, India have lost just one match – the 50-over World Cup final to Australia in November 2023.
Rohit has a strong connect with the Emirates that extends beyond the Champions Trophy. Standing in for Kohli, he led India to the 50-over Asia Cup title in 2018 too but this time, he won’t be around to marshall his side’s fortunes. His humorous one-liners will be missed as much as his takedown of bowlers of all ilk and his shrewd, occasionally under-rated tactical acumen. But in Suryakumar, he has a worthy T20 successor who has assiduously learnt from watching the master at work and added his own unique sass to captaincy.
Rohit the batter was seldom weighed down by the cares of captaincy. Perhaps there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that Suryakumar is feeling the burden yet, though the younger Mumbaikar will be well aware that his last eight T20I knocks have produced only 54 runs with a highest of 21.
Suryakumar knows he is far better than that, as do head coach Gautam Gambhir, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and the rest of the cricketing world. Perhaps, that lean patch was the proverbial lull before the storm. Desert Storm, Part II, anyone?