Sydney, Oct 13 (IANS) Former India coach Ravi Shastri believes the upcoming ODI series in Australia will be an important challenge for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s quest to play another World Cup, saying the veteran duo need a big series against Australia to solidify their spots for the mega spectacle in 2027.

Kohli and Rohit, who have now retired from Tests and T20Is, were named in India’s squad for the ODI series against Australia, starting from October 19 in Perth. They will join the squad before flying to Australia on October 15, for a three-game series starting four days later in Perth.

With the ODI World Cup still two years away and the recent form of Kohli, 36, and Sharma, 38, having been well below their lofty best, uncertainty looms over their future beyond.

At the Summer of Cricket launch in Sydney on Monday, reporters asked Shastri whether he expected the duo to be in contention for a potential swansong in 24 months’ time, he replied, “That’s why they’re here (playing the ODI series against Australia). They’re part of the mix. It depends on their fitness, their hunger and, of course, form.”

“So, I think this series is very important to see how they go. They themselves will know by the end of this series how they feel and then it’s their call. (It’s) the same thing with Steve Smith (who retired from ODIs in March) from Australia’s point of view. At that age, you’ve got to enjoy it and (you’ve) still got to have the hunger.

“But there’s no substitute for experience when it comes to the big games, as we saw in the Champions Trophy. Come the big games and the big boys step up,” he said.

Rohit had even come down to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for some work on his batting and fitness, while Kohli has been doing his preparation in London.

With Australia preparing to host India for three ODIs, followed by five T20Is, the seasoned duo of “RoKo” will finally be back in play.

India’s white-ball tour of Australia, under the new captain Shubman Gill, starts with the ODI series opener on October 19 at Perth Stadium and is followed by matches at Adelaide Oval and Sydney Cricket Ground on October 23 and 25 respectively. It is followed by the five-match T20I series beginning on October 29

The last time India toured Australia for a bilateral ODI series, the visitors lost by 2-1 margin in 2020/21, but managed to win the subsequent T20I series by the same margin on the same tour.

–IANS

bc/