BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) vice-president Rajeev Shukla addressed the talk around Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's retirements and whether the Indian cricket board would give the legends a farewell. Rajeev Shukla was speaking on UP T20 League's YouTube show named 'Long Off Lounge' when he was asked by the hosts if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would receive a farewell by the BCCI when they end up retiring from ODI cricket. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had ended their T20I careers last year after India won the T20 World Cup title in Barbados and earlier this year, stepped away from Test cricket as well. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Back in Latest ICC ODI Rankings for Batsmen After Glitch Saw Them Disappear from the List.

When requested that BCCI should provide a Sachin Tendulkar-type farewell for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Rajeev Shukla responded, "Toh retire kanha huye? Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli dono abhi One-Day khelenge hi, farewell ki baat aap chinta karne lagey. Itna pareshan hone ki zarurat nahi hai," (Have they retired? Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play ODIs, so no point in thinking about farewell. There's no need to worry). Fact Check: Did Virat Kohli Score 309 Runs Against Pakistan in ICC Champions Trophy 2017? Here's the Truth As Video With Misleading Scorecard Goes Viral.

BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's ODI Futures

Furthermore, the BCCI vice-president also clarified that the Indian cricket board's policy is to never ask a player to retire and it is totally his/her own call. "Humari policy badi clear hai, BCCI ki, ki hum kisi player ko nahi kehte ki aap retire ho jao. He has to take his call." (BCCI's policy is very clear. We don't ask any player to retire, he has to take his call). He also said that Virat Kohli is fit and both him and Rohit Sharma are playing well in ODIs, so there's no need to worry about a farewell now. Who is Naeem Amin With Whom Virat Kohli Trained? Know All About Gujarat Titans' Assistant Coach.

Speculations Over Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's ODI Futures

There has been a lot of speculation about the futures of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, with several rumours circulating that the two might not be in India's plans for the ODI World Cup in 2027. There were also reports that Shreyas Iyer is in line to replace Rohit Sharma as India's next ODI captain, but BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia revealed that no such talk has taken place yet. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to be back in action in India's ODI series against Australia Down Under this October.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2025 08:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).