"The conversations will continue" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's match-winning partnership in AUS vs IND 2025 3rd ODI

Former India player Aakash Chopra has praised Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for stitching together a match-winning partnership in the third ODI against Australia. However, he noted that the two modern batting greats were bound to be rusty at the start of the tour and that the conversations about the duo would continue.

Rohit (121* off 125) and Kohli (74* off 81) added 168 runs for the second wicket as India registered a nine-wicket win in Sydney on Saturday, October 25. The visitors had bowled Australia out for 236 earlier in the day.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Chopra was asked about Rohit and Kohli's quality coming to the fore in the third ODI after a lack of game time was evident in the first two matches.

"Absolutely, they had left playing themselves. They were playing before the break and playing well. If you talk about the Champions Trophy final, Rohit Sharma was the Player of the Match. If you talk about Virat Kohli's IPL, you would say one of the best IPL seasons ever. So it's not like the quality had gone somewhere or time was running out," the former India opener responded.

"No matter how good a sword is, it gets slightly rusted if you keep it in a sheath. So that rustiness was definitely seen. However, when you spent a little time, the vintage batting came to the fore. It's not like the form had gone somewhere. It's just that they were not there. However, the way they have played, the conversations will continue," he added.

Aakash Chopra noted that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are aware that players are considered great when they perform well in Australia. He expressed happiness that the duo's potential last game Down Under will remain memorable.

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"They know what their bodies require" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's Test retirements

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from Tests and T20Is. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Aakash Chopra was asked about Rohit Sharma altering his approach as per the demands of the situation, with Saturday's knock being one of the rare innings in which the former India captain had played more than 100 balls lately.

"That's why Ajit Agarkar said in the press conference that they wanted them to play as they would have got some experience in Test cricket in England. However, they are big players, and when they make a decision, we need to respect it. They know what their bodies require. When you take retirement from Tests suddenly, you want to stay fresh," he replied.

The cricketer-turned-commentator praised Rohit for scoring a century after Shubman Gill (24 off 26) had been dismissed early.

"Eventually, you expect this because, ultimately, it can't work out without runs, no matter how big a player you are. You have a role, you are playing as an opener, if your partner hasn't scored runs and you are in good form, make 100 or 150. The hunger and fighting spirit were seen," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra noted that Rohit Sharma kept his ego aside and spent time in the middle in the second ODI in Adelaide. He added that a similar template might be seen now onwards, considering both Rohit and Virat Kohli would want to start and end the upcoming series on a good note, as they would get to play very few international matches.