'Pretty certain Rohit-Virat would not have been available': Gavaskar's blunt take on India duo's ODI return

Gavaskar was adamant that Rohit and Kohli only made themselves available since the series was against Australia, whom India had lost to at home in the 2023 World Cup final. He added that their break would have persisted if the series had been against Zimbabwe or the West Indies.

“I’m pretty certain that if this were a trip to Zimbabwe or the West Indies, both of them would not have been available. But because this is in Australia, and because India lost to Australia in the World Cup final, maybe that is the reason why both of them have decided, yes, I want to be available for this,” he noted during an interaction with India Today.

The Indian batting legend also acknowledged that Rohit and Kohli's path to World Cup selection would be challenging and primarily rely on their playing time in the format.

Also Read | India legend alleges favouritism over Harshit Rana's selection: 'Be constant yes-man to Gambhir to be selected'

“It depends to a great extent on the number of one-day matches that India plays over the next couple of years. Look, it’s not easy to be playing just seven or eight ODIs in a season while preparing for something as big as a World Cup,” he said. “For those eight white-ball matches, there are probably five T20s and three ODIs. That is not giving much in terms of exposure or practice for players who are approaching the latter stages of their careers."

Gavaskar echoed Agarkar's views and  emphasised that in order for Rohit and Kohli to maintain their hopes of winning the World Cup, they must be available for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

“They will have to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy in India whenever it’s scheduled, if it doesn’t clash with any international ODI tournaments. That’s one way to stay in trim and maintain match practice,” he said.