Australia’s World Cup 2023 Hero batter Travis Head showered praise on Indian batting giants Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of the upcoming three-match ODI series starting October 19. Despite ongoing rumors about the duo’s ODI futures, following their retirements from T20Is and Tests, Head believes Rohit and Virat will continue playing for India until the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The speculation intensified after the BCCI announced India’s squad for the Australia series, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar naming Shubman Gill as Rohit’s successor to lead India in ODIs. However, Head said, “They have been awesome for India, I guess Axar can speak more highly about them than myself. But two quality players, two of the best white-ball players. Virat is probably the greatest white-ball player. Rohit is not that far behind.”
On Their Future
Reflecting on their impact and future, Head added, “Someone who opens the batting. I have huge regard for what Rohit has been able to do. I am sure they will be missed at some stage, but I think they both are going until 2027 (looks at Axar Patel and the all-rounder smiles). They both are trying to get to the World Cup. It is great for the game that they are still playing.”
Watch: Ahead of the first ODI between India and Australia, Australian batter Travis Head says, “It’s great, exciting to have India back. They’re a quality squad, and I think there’ll be a few good matchups. It’s always exciting in a big series” pic.twitter.com/AsAkYR5Qpn
— IANS (@ians_india) October 17, 2025
Axar On Roko
Meanwhile, Axar Patel, India’s premier all-rounder in the playing XI while Ravindra Jadeja is unavailable, echoed similar sentiments. He described both veterans as thorough professionals eager for the series opener, stating, “They are world-class players. They know what to do, and they are ready to go. They are professionals and they know what to do. They are ready to go.” On form and preparation, Axar added, “If you speak about their form, they have been preparing well, hence I think they are ready. Everyone has given their fitness Test, they are raring to go now.”
During intense practice sessions at Perth’s Optus Stadium, both Rohit and Virat prepared diligently for the series. Rohit concentrated on perfecting his signature pull and flick shots, while Kohli honed his cover drives and straight strokes, focusing on timing and placement. The two senior batsmen were also seen sharing light moments during training, highlighting their camaraderie ahead of this critical series.
Australia’s updated ODI squad Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, and Mitchell Starc. From game two onwards, Adam Zampa, Alex Carey, and Josh Inglis will also join the squad(see the generated image above).
India Squad
Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal(see the generated image above).