Follow UsIndia won the T20 World Cup last year, and Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from the format on the same day. India have qualified for yet another final, this time of the ICC Champions Trophy, and will take on New Zealand in Dubai on March 9 (Sunday).
Every player wants to retire on a high, and if India win the Champions Trophy, a couple of players could announce their retirement from ODIs. There are a few 35-plus players in the Indian set-up, and considering the next ODI World Cup is in 2027, there’s a possibility that we could be seeing some of these stars for the last time in the format.
Here, we look at three such players who could retire from ODIs after the Champions Trophy 2025:
Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been under serious pressure after losing back-to-back Test series against New Zealand and Australia. It won’t come as a surprise if he isn’t part of India’s squad for the Test series in England later this year. But when it comes to the 50-over format, Rohit hasn’t done too bad. In 36 innings since 2023, he has smashed 1,638 runs @ 48.18 and a strike rate of 118.8.
However, the opener hasn’t been consistent in the last seven matches. He hit a century against England in the home series, but apart from that, Rohit has only scored 107 runs in six innings. The opener is yet to cross the 50-run mark in the Champions Trophy. There have been reports suggesting that India might move on from Rohit after this event, especially if India don’t lift the trophy. On top of that, he is already 37, and his fitness could be a concern for the team management.
Now, don’t get us wrong. We know Virat Kohli loves playing ODIs, and we love watching him go about his business in this format. In fact, this is Kohli’s best format, and the 36-year-old has already established himself as the best batter in the history of this format. Kohli has struggled in red-ball cricket in the last few years but has been scoring runs for fun in the 50-over format.
Kohli has been averaging 63.3 in ODIs since 2023, and even in the ongoing Champions Trophy, the No.3 batter has crafted 217 runs in four innings @ 72.33. Even in terms of fitness, Kohli is as good as some of the best athletes in the world. So, why do we think he might retire from ODIs after the Champions Trophy? Well, the answer is simple: Kohli has achieved everything in this format, and he might just want to focus on red-ball cricket and rediscover his form ahead of the England series.
Ravindra Jadeja, another man who retired from T20Is alongside Kohli and Rohit after the T20 World Cup, could do the same after the Champions Trophy. India haven’t used Jadeja’s batting in ODIs for a while now, and the left-hander has now been pushed to No.8, with another left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder, Axar Patel, batting at No.5.
Jadeja’s bowling, however, has been phenomenal. The left-arm spinner has taken 41 wickets at an economy of just 4.5 in ODIs since 2023. Amongst bowlers from top-10 teams who have bowled at least 200 overs in this period, Jadeja’s economy is the second-best. Like Kohli, his fitness is also top-notch, but Jadeja is already 36, and India have quite a few spin-bowling all-rounders waiting in the wings. Jadeja is still an important member of the Test team, and with India set to play quite a few red-ball games this year, he could shift his entire focus to red-ball cricket.