BCCI set to decide Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma’s future after IND vs SA 2025 ODIs: Reports

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly set to hold a meeting to decide senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's ODI futures. The meeting is expected to be held in Ahmedabad following the Men in Blue's three-match ODI series against South Africa.

According to a Times of India report, Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar will sit with top BCCI officials to discuss plans for Kohli and Sharma's futures on the road to the 2027 ODI World Cup. The two former captains remain active in just one international format, having already retired from T20Is and Tests.

The report suggested that the Indian team management has been working to identify backup players for Kohli and Sharma, to be ready in case they aren't available for the ICC tournament.

A BCCI source emphasized that the duo deserved to get clarity about their roles and what the team management expects out of them. The source was quoted as saying by TOI:

"It is very important that players of Rohit and Kohli’s stature are given clarity about what is expected of them and how the current management views their roles. They can’t just be playing with uncertainty."

The same report indicated that the BCCI will communicate the concerns of the selectors and team management to Kohli and Sharma. A source also commented on the challenges of the senior stars playing just one format.

"They did score runs in the third ODI in Australia. But the series was already lost and the match was set up by the bowlers in the first innings. They looked rusty in the first two matches. One can’t afford that in every series," the source told the Times of India.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be seen in action during the home ODI series against South Africa. The first game will be played in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30.

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Indian team management wants Rohit Sharma to continue playing aggressive cricket: Reports

According to the same report, the Indian think tank wants Rohit Sharma to bat aggressively at the top of the order, an approach that has worked in India's favor in multi-nation events.

"It is expected that he continues to lead by example as a fearless batter at the top of the order. The conditions were tough in Australia but it did look like he was avoiding taking risks. Both are expected to lead the batting to make it easier for the rest of the younger batters around them," sources told the Times of India.

Rohit Sharma was the highest run-scorer in India's 1-2 ODI series defeat to Australia last month. He played a brilliant unbeaten 121-run knock off 125 balls in the third fixture, finishing with 202 runs across three innings.