IND vs AUS: Ro-Ko show in Sydney shows they are not going anywhere yet

When the Ro-Ko show finally ended at Sydney on Saturday evening and the stands looked very much an Indian bastion, one of the numerous banners held aloft with a photo of them together said: ‘God’s plan.’ One need not be a believer and take it literally but then, no one could have written the script better for the pair.

 If it was the same venue eight months back which brought curtains down on their Test careers in an anti-climactic fashion, a dead rubber showed there is still enough fire left in the belly for the Big Two when it comes to white ball cricket. After enduring a nightmarish run in three of the five Tests he played, Rohit sat out of the last Test – only to follow Virat Kohli in retiring from the long format during the IPL.

Kohli fared no better in what eventually turned out to be his last Test innings at Sydney – poking at a Scott Boland delivery on the sixth stump only to be pouched at the second slip for six runs.

Much water had flowed under the river since then and the epitaph of the pair had virtually been written as they flew into Australia for one last time.

The unbeaten 168-run partnership  between the two may have come in a dead rubber, but the most intense of public scrutiny, non-stop trolls and more significantly – an apparent lack of empathy from a headstrong coach and chief selector would have been hard to bear for less tougher characters.

 Given the stage of their career, a Man of the Series award for Rohit or Kohli overtaking Kumar Sangakkara to become the second highest run getter in ODIs after Sachin Tendulkar is perhaps less significant compared to the pair’s self vindication of what they can still do with some more game-time. While the partnership is surely their swansong on Australian soil, it’s now clear that they are not going to sign off from the international arena in a hurry.

 ‘’Love doing what I do and hope I continue to do that,’’ remarked Rohit, who scored an unbeaten 121 to be at par with Sachin Tendulkar for the highest number of ODI centuries (nine) against Australia. It’s high time that all the stakeholders should stop obsessing about whether the two veterans can go on to play the 2027 World Cup and take one series at a time – the three-match series at home against the Proteas coming up next.

 Yes, relief was writ large on the face of Rohit, who had to shrug off the humiliation of being removed from ODI captaincy despite leading the team to the ICC Champions Trophy in March and virtually being put on trial alongwith Kohli.

There was no bitterness but the ‘Hitman’ did make his point across subtly when he said: ‘’Whatever you may have done in the last 15 to 17 years, it’s important that you have got to start afresh. I think it’s the same with Virat as well.’’

The pressure must have been even greater on Kohli – what with an unprecedented back-to-back ducks in Perth and Adelaide raising the spectre of the master calling time altogether in case he tasted another failure. Reflecting on the fact that cricket can be a strange game, he said on a philosophical note after a masterly half-century (74 not out): ‘’You may have scored so many runs and then suddenly, you don’t know how to get a run. The sport certainly shows you something.’’

 A piece of statistics shows what they have brought together on the table as partners in ODIs over the years: a total of 5483 runs at an average of 57.7 and 19 century partnerships. There was a buzz around five to six years back, with both at the peak of their prowess, about the cold vibes between them – but it did not impact on their contribution to Indian cricket.

 Asked what worked behind the wonderful chemistry between the two, Kohli said: ‘’I think it all started during the 2013 home series against Australia when we started getting those big partnerships. We understand each other’s game quite well and are probably the most experienced players around.’’

 What next, then, in store for the two elder statesmen of the game? For now, the wait begins for the first of a three-match ODI series against South Africa in Ranchi on 30 November.