"Both of them might decide to announce retirement" - Former batter's stunning claim on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli's future ahead of AUS vs IND series

Former Indian and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Manoj Tiwary believes the legendary duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could ponder retirement from international cricket after the upcoming Australian tour. Both veterans have already retired from the T20I and Tests formats, with the latter coming just before the recent England tour.

In a stunner, Rohit was removed from ODI captaincy, with Shubman Gill replacing him for the upcoming three-match series in Australia. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar was also non-committal about Kohli and Rohit's participation in the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Talking about the recent developments on Kohli and Rohit, Tiwary said in an interview with CricTracker:

"After the kind of contribution both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have made for Indian cricket, if they’re being treated like this, it’s nothing short of disrespectful. I genuinely feel that very soon, both of them might decide to announce retirement, possibly after the Australia series."

He added:

"When you appoint someone as captain, the goal is to win matches and series. Rohit Sharma was already doing that consistently. The team’s performance was solid, the results were coming, so what was the need for this change?"

Rohit led India to glory in their latest ODI assignment, the Champions Trophy in the UAE. He boasts an excellent winning percentage of 75 as India's ODI captain, winning 42 out of 56 outings.

"A player with self-respect and dignity will never continue" - Manoj Tiwary on Virat Kohli's Test retirement

Manoj Tiwary believes Virat Kohli retired from Tests earlier this year because he felt disrespected by the current team management. The 36-year-old endured a poor run in red-ball cricket in the 2024/25 season, averaging only 22.47 in 10 outings.

Yet, Kohli was one of India's most accomplished Test batters, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of almost 47, including 30 centuries, in 123 matches.

"When a player, no matter how big he is, starts feeling that he’s not needed or respected, a player with self-respect and dignity will never continue. That’s exactly why Virat quietly stepped away from Test cricket, not out of frustration, but out of self-respect," said Tiwary (via the aforementioned source).

He continued:

"And if things continue the same way, I honestly think there’s a possibility that Rohit might also take that step in the future, not because he wants to, but because no great player should be made to stay where he feels disrespected."

Virat Kohli was also one of India's best Test captains, leading the side to 40 wins in 68 games, including a maiden Test series win in Australia in 2018/19.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran