Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has highlighted that limited opportunities to play International cricket will always be a problem for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both the veteran batters were dismissed cheaply in the opening game of the series against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
While Rohit could only manage 11 runs, Kohli was plumbed in front of the wickets by Jofra Archer after scoring five runs.
Meanwhile, Rohit and Kohli only plays ODI cricket for India and thus their game time is limited. Rohit was part of India’s squad for the series against Afghanistan whereas Kohli last played professional cricket in IPL 2026.
“Rohit and Kohli, this will always be a problem for them because an ODI series is generally of three matches. There is a series, then there is nothing for two months, then there is a series, and then nothing for two months. Virat didn’t play against Afghanistan either. Rohit still played there,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra said Kohli will be next seen in action in September, when the West Indies will tour India for a three-match ODI series.
“So when will Virat’s next ODI series come? I think September. So that is a huge gap, and it keeps coming repeatedly. So you want to score runs. They generally don’t fail in the same match. They did in the previous match, but despite that, they have excellent numbers against England. You would want both of them to score the runs because this could be their last England tour,” he observed.
Meanwhile, earlier, Shubman Gill suffered ODI series losses against Australia and New Zealand as a captain. Chopra noted that it would be a maiden series win for Gill as a leader against a top team if India manage to beat England.
“Shubman Gill drew the series in his first assignment (as captain) against England. He scored more than 700 runs, and his performance was excellent. He has returned to face England once again. If he wins the series here, it will be his first win against top teams. He has won against Afghanistan, but lost against Australia and New Zealand as a captain,” he said.
The second ODI between India and England will be played at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on Thursday.
