Former India star questions Virat and Rohit’s retirements from red-ball cricket, says ‘Didn’t seem like…

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has raised questions about the red-ball retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, calling them “unnatural” while praising their continued hunger in ODIs.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirements within a short period of time, marking the end of an era in red-ball cricket. Both senior batters had been struggling for form in the longer format, and former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has now wondered whether their decisions to retire were completely natural.

“I don’t know if it was a forced surrender, but it definitely didn’t seem like a natural exit. What the truth is, they themselves will have to share in their own time. But I don’t think it was natural,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.

“When Rohit was not scoring runs in Australia, I felt that he should take a break for six months and work on his fitness. I had no doubt in my mind that he would score runs,” he added.

However, both players decided to continue in the ODI format and have delivered some crucial knocks during the course of the Australia tour and recent home ODI series against South Africa. “In both Virat and Rohit, you can see that hunger back in their eyes, which is really cool. It’s endearing to see it from a veteran who’s been there, done that, and achieved so much in international cricket,Uthappa said.

Mohammad Nabi on ‘RO-KO’

In an exclusive interview with cricketcountry.com from Dubai during the ILT20 2025 competition. Mohammad Nabi asked why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli opted to retire from T20Is after winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. He feels there is no reason why they shouldn’t continue playing ODI cricket for the next few years.

“If Rohit (Sharma) and (Virat) Kohli are performing and the body allows them to play then why shouldn’t they play in 2027 ODI World Cup. Both are playing really well in the last few series and performing, I don’t know why they retired from T20!” Nabi said in an exclusive interview to cricketcountry.com from Dubai on Wednesday.

“India’s team combination has been really good when Rohit and Kohli are playing in ODI cricket. The team looks balanced and looks stronger. They should definitely play in the next World Cup together,” he added.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are taking part in this season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy. Rohit made a big impact, scoring a century in Mumbai’s opening game against Sikkim in Jaipur. He followed it up with another hundred at the Centre of Excellence against Andhra Pradesh in the first round, and later scored a quick 77 off 61 balls against Gujarat in the second match.