“Game will move on from them and they will move on as well”- Ganguly on Rohit and Kohli’s ODI future

Cricket will continue even after legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retire from the game, according to former India captain Sourav Ganguly. According to reports, the two legends are thinking about the 2027 ODI World Cup as a fitting send-off after having already retired from Test and Twenty20 International cricket.

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But concentrating only on one format is difficult, particularly when there are fewer and fewer ODIs on the international schedule. India's next One-Day International (ODI) match versus Bangladesh is set for August.

Their most recent 50-over encounter was at the 2025 Champions Trophy, which was played in February and March. As per the Future Tours Programme (FTP), India is set to play just 27 ODIs leading up to the 2027 World Cup.

While playing only 15 games a year, Sourav Ganguly believes it may be challenging to stay fit, but he also says the game will move on from them.

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"It won’t be easy, fifteen games a year. I’ve got no advice. I think they know the game as much as I do, and they (Rohit & Virat) will make their own decisions. But all of us must understand that, like everyone else, the game will eventually move on from them, and they will move on from the game," Ganguly told PTI.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are GOATs of ODI cricket. Rohit has 11168 runs in 273 ODIs with 32 centuries, while Kohli has 14181 runs in 302 ODIs with 51 centuries.

‘If Virat was on the England tour, he’d have scored heavily’- Sourav Ganguly

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Virat Kohli was supposed to be a major part of Team India's trip to England, which kicked off the 2025–27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, despite his lackluster batting performance in the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But even before the tour started, the former captain shocked everyone by declaring his retirement from Test cricket.

“Retirement should happen when people ask ‘Why?’ and not ‘Why not?’ As a player, you always know your place. He knew he didn't have the best of 5 years in Tests, but champions like him find ways to rediscover themselves. If Virat were on this England tour, I’m confident he would’ve scored heavily. But he felt it was time to go," Ganguly added.

He will be on display at the end of the year when India plays teams like Australia and South Africa, as ODIs are currently his only emphasis in international cricket.

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