Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa expressed surprise at head coach Gautam Gambhir's lack of praise for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after the ODI series against South Africa. While addressing a variety of subjects after India's 2-1 series win, Gambhir rarely mentioned the legendary duo for their heroics throughout the three games.Kohli was the leading run-scorer with a remarkable 302 runs at an average of 151 and a strike rate of 117.05, including two centuries. On the other hand, Rohit finished the series with 146 runs at an average of 48.66 and a strike rate of over 110.Talking about Gautam Gambhir's press conference and his lack of praise for Kohli and Rohit, Uthappa said on his YouTube channel (34:30):"What I found surprising is the post-match of that series, in the press conference, I didn't see Gautam giving credit to either Rohit or Virat. Here are a couple of guys who've batted out of their skins and shown us how good they are and how good they can be. They reduced all kinds of doubts and shut down any naysayers about what they actually can do and will do for India when they are in the right kind of form. That felt strange."Kohli and Rohit remain active for India only in the ODI format, having retired from Tests earlier this year and from T20Is after the World Cup last year."You got to realise that the ODI World Cup is two years away" - Gautam Gambhir on Rohit and Kohli's futureGautam Gambhir remained tight-lipped when asked about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's 2027 ODI World Cup chances after the South African ODI series. Much has been discussed about the pair featuring in the marquee event in South Africa since their Test retirements earlier in the year."First you got to realise that the ODI World Cup is two years away. It’s important to stay in the present. They are world-class players and their experience is important in the dressing room. They’ve been doing it for a long time. Hopefully, they can continue doing the same, which is going to be important in the 50-over format," said Gambhir (via Hindustan Times).Thanks to their recent heroics against the Proteas and Australia, Rohit and Kohli are currently ranked No. 1 and 2 on the latest ICC ODI batter rankings. The duo will be in action next for India in the home ODI series against New Zealand in January 2026.