Pat Cummins' Huge Statement on Virat and Rohit's Future -"This could be the last chance for the Australian public to see them in action in Australia"
Former Indian Cricket Team captains Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma departed for Australia on Wednesday with the first batch of the squad. Both were spotted at the International airport of New Delhi. Meanwhile, Australia's World Cup winning captain Pat Cummins has said that this may be the last chance for Australian fans to see Rohit and Kohli play at home.
Must Read - WTC Points Table: India National Team Fail to Secure Top-2 Spot Even After Whitewashing West Indies 2-0
Rohit and Kohli will be seen playing international cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy final on March 9th. Both of them also played their last Test match in Sydney, Australia earlier this year. The India vs Australia ODI series begins from the 19th of October onwards.
Many cricketers including Gill and Jaiswal left, Gambhir's flight in the evening
The first batch of the Indian team, consisting of Rohit and Kohli, along with new captain Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna, have departed for Australia. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and the remaining support staff will depart in the evening.
Disappointing not to be able to play against India: Cummins
Australia captain Pat Cummins told JioHotstar- "Virat and Rohit have been part of almost every Indian squad for the past fifteen years, so this might be the last opportunity for the Aussie public to witness them them play on Australian soil. Cummins said this because India's current future tour programme does not include a tour to Australia before 2027."
Cummins further said- "Both of them have been great cricketers for India and always receive tremendous support. Whenever we play India, the stadiums are filled with excitement. Missing the white-ball series against India is a regret."
The 32-year-old Cummins will miss the series due to a back injury. All-Rounder Mitchell Marsh will handle the captaincy duties of the hosts in his absence.
Is this the last ODI series for Rohit and Kohli?
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir had said a day earlier that he expected Rohit and Kohli to perform well in the upcoming series. However, he did not comment on the possibility of the two playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Gambhir had said, "The ODI World Cup is still two and a half years away. It's important to stay in the present. Obviously, they're excellent players. They're making a comeback. Their experience will prove very useful in Australia."
Earlier on September 19, the Prince of Indian Cricket Shubman Gill was appointed the new Indian captain, replacing Rohit Sharma. Rohit and Kohli have already retired from Test and T20 Internationals.