ODI series: How are Ro-Ko running riot despite playing just one format?

As the Indian cricket bandwagon moves base to Cuttack to usher in the T20I series against South Africa from Tuesday, Ro-Ko have parted with the younger brigade in different directions. While Rohit will be back in his Mumbai hub before possibly turning out for his state in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy, Virat will jet back to London before joining his Delhi teammates in two weeks’ time.

The footprint of the Big Two in the just concluded ODI series win had been simply overpowering – be it in terms of their unstoppable form, an inspirational presence for the younger team members or providing valuable inputs to stand-in skipper K.L. Rahul.

Despite head coach Gautam Gambhir being almost grudging in his acceptance of the contribution of the senior pros, the two former captains have laid down the marker for the 2027 ICC World Cup with their Player of the Series awards.

 Just ponder this: Rohit emerged as series best in Australia and now has the following sequence of scores since October: 8, 73, 121, 57, 14 and 75. Kohli’s run of scores in the same set of matches read: 0,0, 74 not out, 135, 102 and 65 not out.

There is no denying the fact that the quick turnaround with a 2-1 series win, right on the back of a clean sweep by the Proteas in Tests, has helped divert attention from the shortcomings of the longer format. It is obvious that with nearly two years still to go for the ODI showpiece in South Africa, Gambhir & Co will want to create a pool of 20-25 players for the same but the uneasy coexistence that now prevails in the dressing room does not augur well for the Men in Blue.

The current run of form for the big guns may be too good to last forever, but if the two ODI series Down Under and against South Africa have proved anything, these two men with nothing left to prove to anybody are mentally steeling themselves up for one last go at the ODI World Cup.

It’s a different issue as to whether they can lay their hands on the prized trophy as professional sport does not guarantee fairytale endings, but they are showing the intent to meet the requirement as much as possible.

 The difference in the art of batsmanship in red ball cricket and white is like chalk-and-cheese, but Rohit’s fluency in Australia made one difficult to believe that he was the same batter who had been scratching around for an aggregate of 31 runs from six innings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this week.

The fact that Rohit had lost 10 kgs in the run-up to Australia tour, a result of strict discipline and monitoring under the guidance of friend Abhishek Nayar, made him lighter on his feet and it certainly helped him get lighter on his feet while batting. While getting in top physical shape is one aspect of it, the muscle memory and match awareness allows the pair to dominate in a way which makes the younger generation gape at them with admiration.

Reflecting on what triggered the urge for a transformation in Rohit, Nayar told Star Sports before departing for Australia: “There was a lot of talk about him (Rohit) putting on weight, and a few images of him at the airport circulated, so it was about changing that perception. In many ways, it was about becoming healthier, faster, and fitter — and that’s where the journey began.”

 There were no such issues though with Virat, whose fitness ethic had been a subject of envy throughout the peak phase of his career. There has been much curiosity about Virat’s preparation these days as he stays away from the prying eyes of Indian media in the UK these days, but TV pundit Dale Steyn spilled the beans during the South Africa series.

The former pace ace, who had been Kohli’s teammate for a while at the Royal Challengers Bangalore and also played enough international cricket against him, revealed Kohli’s support system there.

 ‘’He (Virat) has great facilities at Lord’s, at Surrey, and he goes to practice too. There’s a trainer he works with. He’s always well prepared. When you look at him, he’s in tip-top condition all the time, mentally he is super strong,’’ said Steyn.

 Calling Kohli a ‘true professional,’ Steyn said: ‘’He’s well aware of his game and how he goes about scoring his runs. He comes in, joins the team and is fully committed. And then you see such kind of performances. That is what true professionals do,’’ Steyn added.

Speaking after receiving his Player of the Series award in Visakhapatnam, Kohli admitted that he hasn’t batted as well ‘’in last two to three years.’’ There are as many as six three-match ODI series left for India before the next World Cup till end-2026, and it will offer Indian team management enough matches to try out different combinations – especially in problem areas like pace bowling.

 However, it will be tough for Gambhir to keep the Big Two out of equation from here onwards.

India’s ODI fixtures till 2027 World Cup

3 ODIs vs NZ (Home, January 2026)

3 ODIs vs Afghanistan (Home, June)

3 ODIs vs England (England, July)

3 ODIs vs WI (Home, Sept-Oct)

3 ODIs vs NZ (NZ, Oct-Nov)

3 ODIs vs SL (Home, Dec)