"Rohit-Virat are not on trial": Chief selector Ajit Agarkar

New Delhi [India], October 17 (ANI): India's chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, has cleared the air on the future of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, insisting that the legendary duo are "not on trial".
Speaking ahead of the ODI series against Australia, the chief selector, Ajit Agarkar said on NDTV World Summit 2025, "I mean, they're part of that squad at the moment for Australia. Like I said, they've been incredible players for a long period of time and it's probably not the forum to keep harping on individuals because you want to try and focus on the team, what the team wants to achieve and in two years' time, we don't know what the situation's going to be. So why just them two? It could be some other younger players."
When asked whether the future of Rohit and Kohli in the context of the 2027 World Cup would now depend on every ODI series from here on, the chief selector brushed off the notion.
"I mean, that'll be a bit silly, isn't it? When one guy averages over 50 and the other averages close to 50. So you're not going to put them on trial for every game, but 2027 is a long way away. Both of them play one format. They're playing cricket after what? We played 8th or 9th of March, that was the Champions Trophy final. They'll play 19th of October. They haven't had a lot of cricket," he said.
He further added that the selectors will assess things as they progress but reiterated that the two modern greats have nothing left to prove.
"Once they start playing, you assess as you go forward. They're not on trial. They've achieved all they had to achieve, not just in terms of trophies, but also runs. So it's not that if both of them don't get runs this series, that will be the reason they won't be there or if they get 300, that is the reason they play in 2027," Agarkar noted.
"It's still a long way away, and we'll see how the team shapes up. We have some ideas and as we go along, we'll probably have a better idea of where the team is progressing to," he added.
The 2027 World Cup is scheduled to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. India is touring Australia for three ODIs and five T20Is. The series will commence with the 50-Over fixtures on Sunday, and the second and third ODIs will be played on October 23 and 25. The five T20Is will be played from October 29 to November 8.
The two Indian heavyweights will be seen in action for the first time in the Indian jersey since the ICC Champions Trophy Final earlier this year.
Since India last played a bilateral series against Australia in their home territory just before the ODI World Cup in 2023, 'Ro-Ko' have been sensational.
Since then, Rohit has featured in 23 ODIs, scoring 1,137 runs at an average of 49.43 and an astonishing strike rate of 123.45, with two centuries and seven fifties. His best score is 131.
His performances also include an incredible 2023 WC campaign at home, ending as the second-highest run-getter with 597 runs in 11 innings at an average of 54.27, with a century and three fifties, striking at over 125.
In the unbeaten ICC Champions Trophy campaign for India, he made 180 runs in five innings, including a match-winning 76 in the final against New Zealand.
Virat, on the other hand, has slammed 1,154 runs in 22 matches since then, averaging 64.11. While his strike rate is 88.56, including four centuries and nine fifties, with a best score of 117. (ANI)