There are intriguing developments in Indian cricket right now. The legends are going out, and the next generation is taking over. Last year, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the two legends and torch-bearers of Indian cricket who dominated the batting for the previous 15 years, declared their retirements from T20Is and have since chosen to quit Tests. The only remaining format is ODIs, the future of which has been the subject of much discussion. Both Kohli and Rohit may be planning to end their legendary careers with the sole ICC limited-overs trophy they have yet to win together, as there are still many ODIs remaining between today and the 2027 World Cup.

But there is a catch. Kohli will be approaching the age of 40 by the time the World Cup rolls around in over two years, and Rohit will have reached that milestone. The team management may have a different perspective on the mission World Cup, even if both would undoubtedly want to continue. Kohli's plan appears to be far more promising since he is in better physical condition and has worked out his batting style. Recently, Rohit has been hit or miss.

Rohit started using this carefree batting style during the 2023 World Cup two years ago, and it has largely continued to work for him. However, as he gets older, the extent to which this method will still be effective will be a key consideration. Furthermore, the task becomes all the more difficult for Rohit, since there are rumors circulating that he will no longer be the captain during the ICC competition in South Africa. Typically, Indian cricket follows a strategy of training a successor. As an illustration, MS Dhoni recognized that it would be difficult for him to move on from the 2019 World Cup, therefore Virat Kohli was named India's ODI captain in 2017. Similarly, with the 2027 World Cup probably being Rohit's swansong, his prospects of being captain are bleak.

The idea of a split captaincy is being tested in Indian cricket for the first time. In the ODIs, Suryakumar Yadav leads India, but Shubman Gill, the newly selected captain, will start his voyage in eleven days. However, this might not hold true for very long. It may be anytime soon that a change in the guard occurs.

The BCCI believed that Rohit Sharma would retire following the Champions Trophy

"To be honest, after winning the Champions Trophy, many of us believed that Rohit wanted to switch away from the ODI format. A BCCI insider informed The Hindustan Times that Rohit and the selectors have not had any conversations about his future in ODIs.

In the course of the changing cycle, the BCCI chairman of selectors is anticipated to step in to choose Rohit's replacement. In spite of his questionable methods as captain of the Test team, Rohit has done a fantastic job of leading India in the white-ball format. Under Rohit, India has only suffered one defeat in the previous three ICC tournaments: the World Cup final against Australia. In the past two years, Rohit has guided India to two ICC championships: the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai and the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies. India will play their next ODI series in August if the Bangladesh trip goes according to plan; if not, it will be in October, when they go to Australia for a three-game series.

The following is India's ODI schedule through the end of 2026:

August 2025: Three games in Bangladesh

October 2025: 3 games played in Australia

November 2025: three home games against South Africa

3 games at home against New Zealand in January 2026

June 2026: Three home games against Afghanistan

July 2026: 3 games in England

September 2026: Three home games against the West Indies

New Zealand, November 2026: three games

Three matches against Sri Lanka at home in December 2026.

India is scheduled to play at least 27 ODIs between now and the World Cup, according to the current FTP, although more games can be added and adjustments may be made. Rohit's tenure as captain may be coming to an end since there are so many games played over two years, and there is a chance that Shreyas Iyer has joined India's competition for the captaincy, with Gill already in the mix.