Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson spoke about the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in ODI cricket as the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 approaches. Shane Watson dismissed concerns about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's struggles in Test cricket, adding that it will not affect their ODI form.
India are facing turmoil after their loss in Melbourne, which left them 1-2 down in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. There are growing concerns about the form of Virat and Rohit. Rohit is under scrutiny for his form and leadership of the team, while Kohli's constant failures off the field have raised concerns.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir has not confirmed whether Rohit will be part of the playing XI for the upcoming Test in Sydney, starting Friday, January 3. Discussions about both players' performances and future roles have also extended beyond the Test format, reaching into the limited-overs game.
Shane Watson gets candid about the ODI future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Shane Watson dismissed concerns over the recent poor form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, adding that it will not affect their performances in limited-overs cricket. He pointed out that the conditions in Dubai will be different and that ODI matches allow both players to express themselves more freely.
“I don't think (the current poor form) will play a role at all with the impact of Rohit Sharma and Virat in one-day cricket. The conditions will be different when they play in Dubai. One-day cricket does free them up as well,” Watson said.
Virat Kohli is the absolute master of one-day cricket – Shane Watson
Shane Watson highlighted Virat Kohli's impressive record in One-Day Internationals. Watson praised Kohli as a true master of ODIs, describing his numbers as extraordinary and “insane” given the success.
“Kohli is an absolute master of one-day cricket. Yes, he is a master of all formats, but especially ODIs. You see his extraordinary numbers over a long period of time, where he averages around 57 and a strike rate of 93 over a long period,” Watson added: “It's crazy to think about his control over his roles.”
Rohit Sharma was at his best, taking on the captain of the match – Shane Watson
The 43-year-old said that Rohit Sharma can return to his best form in ODIs, using his strong performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup as an example. Watson said that Rohit played hard and played the match in limited overs cricket.
“We will see that again in the Champions Trophy. Rohit, as we saw in the One-Day World Cup (2023) when he was at his best, was taking charge of the game.”
“It's difficult to be able to do that in Test cricket. He hasn't been able to find that balance here in Australia. But when he comes out to bat on a one-dayer, he loses. That's when we see the same and the best in Rohit Sharma.”
“So I would be very surprised if he doesn't do really well in the Champions Trophy, knowing that he probably doesn't have a lot of time left, whatever that is, but a lot of time left in international cricket. So he added: “I'm sure he'll let the brakes on “hand”.
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