Rohit and Virat end 2025 on a high, giving the 50-over format a new lifeline

The moment it was known that these two stalwarts would be playing the Australia series down under and the home series against South Africa, demand for tickets went through the roof.

Limited overs 50-over internationals don’t really have much value at the moment, with the World Cup still two long years away. There is the T20 World Cup just round the corner, and the WTC is an ongoing event. In such a scenario, you needed a miracle to get people to come to the stadiums to watch 50-over games. Virat and Rohit served as the miracle. The moment it was known that these two stalwarts would be playing the Australia series down under and the home series against South Africa, demand for tickets went through the roof. No one was really sure how they would fare and the idea was to see them for one last time.

For Virat and Rohit, however, it was routine. Proud performers, they were coming back to where they belong and doing what they know how to do best. Score runs. It did not start well for either as both looked apprehensive and out of sorts in Australia. Rohit wasn’t able to middle the ball and Virat too fell without scoring. In the second game, Rohit struggled early on but did not give up. That’s what he needed to do. Be out there and look ugly. Play as many deliveries as possible. Once he did that, the hundred in the third game was a very logical outcome. Virat needed the third game to do the same. Sydney allowed him the game time and since then he has batted like a dream. Ranchi and Raipur witnessed fantastic hundreds and the way he finished the game in Vizag made it very clear he still has the game and the passion.

The one point I want to make here is that both needed a little bit of game time to get into the groove. It was the struggle that got them back. There is no substitute for game time and ahead of the New Zealand series, it is the best option to play a few domestic games to ensure they are back to where they belong. Both have young families, and it is expected will take some time off for Christmas and the New Year. That’s why the game time becomes critical. However good you are, you will be rusty if you don’t play the sport for a few weeks. To just get into practice mode ahead of the New Zealand series might not be the best idea. The fact that Virat has agreed to play a few Vijay Hazare games for Delhi is the right call. Rohit, too, will be playing for Mumbai and it is evident it is now a well-calibrated way ahead for both.

From the look of it, both should be around in 2026. They will get some games against New Zealand and thereafter get some games against England in England. By the time they are done with the England series in July, the World Cup will just be a year away. That’s when we can make a realistic guess if the two are ready for one final shot at the 50-over world title. At the moment, it does seem so, but two years is still a very long time.

For now, the fans have every reason to be hopeful. The way Rohit fielded, for example, was refreshing and it was clear he is enjoying having shed the extra weight. The pull shots are all back and that hit of Ngidi over mid wicket is proof that the hand-eye coordination is still a reality.

All boxes have been ticked. All shots played and all critics answered. Fans have been given what they were craving for and in doing all this they have given the format a new lifeline. As long as they are around 50 overs, cricket will not have to worry about fans making it to the stadium, and that’s the big takeaway in the last one month.