Cricket Australia to accord grandiose farewell to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Cricket Australia to accord grandiose farewell to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Plans are afoot by Cricket Australia (CA) is to accord Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli a grandiose farewell when Team India tours Australia for three ODIs and five T20Is later in 2025.
Reportedly, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will not be a part of India’s Test series against England, having retired.
The players announced their retirement from Test cricket in the midst of the IPL 2025 season.
The notable absentees from India’s squad, as they take on England in the upcoming five-match Test series, will be stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Even as the two were not accorded any farewell Tests in India itself, Cricket Australia (CA) potentially plans to accord them a grandiose farewell given that it could be the last time both players play in Australia.
Australia is bracing itself for a long summer of cricket, with the limited-overs India series set to be followed by the five-Test Ashes against England.
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has hinted at special preparations to maximise interest for cricket amidst that period.
According to Greenberg for the very first time in nearly two decades, Australian cricket will be playing international matches in every single capital city and territory across the entire country. There’s a lot of work going into bespoke marketing plans for every game in every city.
The popularity of cricket in Australia soared with India touring the country for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, which saw record numbers turn up for events such as the Boxing Day Test.
Greenberg further added he thinks they saw real momentum last year on the back of the BGT series, some record-breaking ticket sales. And he anticipate that they will see a number of sellouts across the summer, really starting in August and going through until March. This might be a summer like they haven’t ever seen before, just in terms of the amount of content.
“If you think about the quality of the players coming, particularly from India, this might be the last time we get to see Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma play in our country. If that’s the case – who knows, it might not be – but if it is, they want to make sure we give them a great send-off and acknowledge the incredible contribution they have made to international cricket.
Kohli and Rohit announced their retirement from both the longest and shortest formats of the game, leaving them active in only ODI cricket, with the 2027 World Cup surely a final aim. The limited-overs series between India and Australia, scheduled to be held in October and November 2025, could well be the last time the two veterans play Down Under. Rohit is 38 years old, while Kohli will be 37 during the series.
News Edit KV Raman
