{"id":232597,"date":"2025-02-05T19:28:15","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/05\/last-dance-or-new-dawn-rohit-sharma-virat-kohlis-fight-for-odi-supremacy-cricket-news-the-times-of-india\/"},"modified":"2025-02-05T19:28:15","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:28:15","slug":"last-dance-or-new-dawn-rohit-sharma-virat-kohlis-fight-for-odi-supremacy-cricket-news-the-times-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/05\/last-dance-or-new-dawn-rohit-sharma-virat-kohlis-fight-for-odi-supremacy-cricket-news-the-times-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Last dance or new dawn? Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli’s fight for ODI supremacy | Cricket News – The Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (PTI Photo)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NAGPUR: Under the twilight sky of Birmingham in 2013, two young men revelled in the sheer joy of triumph. One, an exuberant 24-year-old, swayed to the beats of the viral sensation ‘Gangnam Style’. The other, just a year older, clung to the Champions Trophy like a child unwilling to part with his most cherished possession.<\/p>\n

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Poll<\/p>\n

Whose Performance Will Take the Spotlight in the ODI Series Against England?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Virat Kohli<\/a> and Rohit Sharma<\/a> \u2014 two names that would go on to redefine Indian cricket \u2014 stood on the cusp of greatness that day. The victory was more than just a moment of celebration; it was redemption. Indian cricket had been tainted by the scars of match-fixing in the Indian Premier League just weeks before, and this win was a cleansing fire.
Twelve years later, the same two men stand at a crossroads. Rohit, the captain with an insatiable hunger for dominance, and Kohli, the run-machine whose name in cricket\u2019s pantheon of greats still smells of fresh ink. As India readies itself for a three-match ODI series against England \u2014 a precursor to the much-awaited Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai \u2014 the focus is sharper than ever on the two titans.<\/p>\n

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Rohit Sharma’s batting in ODIs has been game changing: Shubman Gill<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For Rohit, this series is more than just another assignment; it is a reaffirmation of his position as India\u2019s batting bedrock. The 2023 ODI World Cup saw him revolutionize India\u2019s approach to the format, his fearless starts propelling the team to within inches of the title.
Also See: Champions Trophy Full Schedule 2025<\/a>
Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill too was all praise for his skipper\u2019s style of play. \u201cThe way Rohit bhai has been batting in the ODIs in the past year and a half, it’s been game-changing for us. Taking the momentum right through from the start and taking the game away from ball one, it makes the job of the non-striker and the batsmen coming in a bit easier and it has helped our team a lot,” Gill said.<\/p>\n

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Though he was unstoppable in white ball cricket last year, the whispers surrounding Rohit\u2019s future have only grown louder. Speculation lingers, questions loom \u2014 does the Hitman still have bullets left in his chamber? His extended net session under the punishing Nagpur sun on Tuesday hinted at a man preparing to answer in the only way he knows \u2014 by sending the ball soaring into the stands. He looked sharp in the nets and was seen involved even when the spinners were bowling.<\/p>\n

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Will Rohit Sharma win another ICC trophy? Here’s what the horoscope says<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Numbers, too, tell the story of Rohit\u2019s blitzkrieg. Since 2023, India\u2019s powerplay run rate has surged to 6.5 under Rohit\u2019s aggressive blueprint. A balls-per-boundary ratio of 5.8, an astonishing 75 sixes in the last two years \u2014 the most by any batter in ODIs \u2014 underline his role as a modern-day maverick. And yet, a six-month hiatus from the format raises questions about his rhythm, readiness, and whether time away from the 50-over grind has dulled his edge.
For Virat, the series is an opportunity to script yet another chapter in his illustrious ODI legacy. His red-ball struggles have been well-documented, but in the white-ball arena, he remains an unyielding force. With 13,906 runs to his name, he stands just 94 runs away from becoming only the third batter to breach the 14,000-run mark in ODIs. A milestone beckons, Kohli would love to etch it in Nagpur, a city where he has an average of 81.25. Kohli\u2019s ODI prowess remains unparalleled \u2014 since 2023, he boasts the best average in the format, scoring the most centuries.
For Rohit and Virat, the three ODIs, and the Champions Trophy<\/a> that follows, are a battle against perception. The echoes of Edgbaston 2013 linger, but as the two stalwarts take the field once again, they seek not nostalgia \u2014 but new beginnings.<\/div>\n