Indian greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have rightly retired from both formats of international cricket and are now appearing solely in ODI cricket at the international level for India. They will most likely keep their place until the ICC World Cup 2027, where India would rightly need their two most experienced batsmen.

Currently, both the veteran cricketers are part of their respective franchises in the IPL, and Virat Kohli has once again shown remarkable consistency not only with the bat but also on the field. However, Rohit has struggled with some injuries after having a promising start to the season.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s former Indian teammate Shikhar Dhawan warned them about disrupting the flow of one-format players in international cricket; However, it has also supported the big two to get out of the crisis.

Shikhar Dhawan talks about the struggles of an all-format player

Former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, former teammate of legendary batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, has opined that the reduction in match frequency is really worrying for most cricketers in international cricket.

“Yes, when you play a format at the international level, your flow gets disrupted,” Dhawan said.

Having spent the latter part of his career as a single-format cricketer, the former Indian star admitted that it can be worrying as players often tend to lose pace in the game. He mentioned the same challenges of staying in the flow when opportunities are spaced out, while speaking to PTI.

They [Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli] Know how to turn challenge into opportunity – Shikhar Dhawan

However, he contradicted his own words when he started mentioning the same regarding his former teammates Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He explained that the focus is often on staying fit due to less exposure to gaming; However, that is not the case for the two veteran Indian batsmen.

“So the players focus on fitness because they don’t play too many matches. We are talking about Rohit and Virat, and they are mature people. It is a challenge, but they know how to turn a challenge into an opportunity.

“If you look at his fitness, Virat was always fit, but Rohit has undergone a tremendous transformation,” he added. In truth, Rohit Sharma has regained incredible fitness, while Kohli has always been at his best with a high fitness quotient.

The international calendar for the CWC 2027 will facilitate the two big

He then went on to add how this two stars’ situation is different from his as they have an upcoming international schedule for India that largely consists of ODI games. The players would have immense opportunities to back themselves and revive their pace in the format.

“Now, with the 2027 World Cup around the corner, they will be able to play a lot of ODI matches. If you look at the time when I became a single-format player, there were back-to-back T20 World Cups (2021 and 22), and I was playing ODIs, which were few and far between. So matches will not be a problem for Rohit and Virat, and there is enough time for the event,” he concluded.

Anyway, Rohit Sharma has amassed 650 runs in 14 games since 2025, and Virat, on the other hand, has also amassed 651 runs in 13 games, with two and three centuries respectively.

ALSO READ: Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma share a special moment during GT vs RCB IPL 2026 clash