'Can’t take 1-2 games to get into the groove' - Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma warned after lean run in England

Former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta has urged Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to maintain and improve their form to ensure their places in India's ODI side.

The two veterans featured in the three-match series in England. Despite the series ending 2-1 to the hosts, Kohli scored half-centuries in the final two games, and Rohit notched up his 34th ODI century in the final match, becoming the first Indian to score an ODI hundred at Lord's after two failures in the series.

With India's eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup and both players having expressed their desire to participate in the marquee competition, Dasgupta has urged the pair to maintain better performances and start the series well instead of waiting for the final few games to score runs, further emphasising the need for scores to maintain their places in the team.

“That has to be a conversation with everyone, not just them (Kohli and Rohit), that they have to start the series well and hit the ground running. That is a challenge. You can’t take one or two games to get into the groove. But that’s where the support staff comes in and has conversations with the players by creating an environment to get the best out of everyone.

"There is no conversation needed with them about their places in the team. Four years back, it wasn’t like they had to be reminded before every series that they would be in the team. They knew they would be in the team based on their performances. So how does that change now? It does not and should not change," Dasgupta said in a video on his YouTube channel.

The pair now features only in one format after retiring from Tests in 2025. Talks of the match at Lord's being Rohit's final ODI were quickly dismissed by the BCCI after speculative reports emerged in the press. Dasgupta stated that because Kohli and Rohit play just one format, there will be more scrutiny on the pair's performances and further reiterated that they should be the barrier for team selection.

“This discussion about their future is getting exaggerated because they play only one format. When you play multiple formats, if you fail in one but score in the other, the failure is forgotten. So that’s a challenge for these two that can’t be denied. People will remember what they last did in this format because they play only one format. But the conversation with them should be the same as it was three years ago,” he added.

India's next ODI assignment is set to take place in late September, when they host the West Indies in a three-match series.