Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], January 13 (ANI): Ahead of his side’s second ODI against New Zealand in Rajkot on Tuesday, Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak spoke on preparations made by seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, pointing out how they discuss the format with head coach Gautam Gambhir, the number of matches they have and the team’s plans leading up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.
As Team India continues its ‘Mission 2027’ in Rajkot, the spotlight will once again be on Rohit and Virat, now lovingly referred to as ‘Ro-Ko’. As exclusively ODI players, their ODI appearances are nothing short of festivals for the team, and with the lack of ODIs being played, there is always speculation about their future, with both men in their late 30s already.
“Both of them are so senior and experienced, they definitely make plans, they want to practice at all the venues. If they feel they need to, they will go a couple of days in advance, and they practice. They known they are playing just one format and want the Indian team to win every time they play. They both are thorough professionals, not only in their batting, but with regard to plans on their fitness, needs, and what they need to do,” he said.
“In fact, they discuss with Gautam about ODIs, the matches we have, the plans going into South Africa (for the 2027 World Cup). They share their experience, and I always see them talking. There are a lot of positives,” he added.
Despite immense scrutiny, Ro-Ko have performed fantastically. The ”Ro-Ko’ ended as the top run-getters for India in ODIs last year, with Virat making 651 runs in 13 matches and innings at an average of 65.10, with three centuries and four fifties, with a best score of 135 and a SR of over 96. On the other hand, Rohit scored 650 runs in 14 innings at an average of 50.00 and a strike rate of over 100, with two centuries and four fifties and a best score of 121*.
In their first ODIs of the year this year, Rohit and Virat scored 26 and 93, respectively, in a challenging chase of 301 runs. Leading up to this match, they played a couple of Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) matches, with Virat scoring 131 and 77 in two appearances for Delhi and Rohit knocking 155* in one match, followed by a duck in the next.
Squads:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Ayush Badoni, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel
New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay(w), Michael Bracewell(c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok, Jayden Lennox, Nick Kelly, Josh Clarkson, Michael Rae. (ANI)
