After the embarrassing 0-2 whitewash in the Test series, India fought back against South Africa with a 2-1 win in the ODI series. One of the bright spots of the series win was the exemplary form shown by Virat Kohli who topped the run charts with 302 runs. He was fittingly awarded Player of the Series for his two tons and a fifty while Rohit Sharma also chipped in with two fifties.
It must also be noted that Kohli had signed off the Australia ODIs with an unbeaten fifty while Rohit was the Player of the Series in that series. With plenty of chatter around their futures, the veterans have put on a stellar show for two ODI series in a row. However, with India playing lesser matches in this format these days, Kohli and Rohit will have to keep going at full throttle.
Acknowledging the performances by the senior pair, head coach Gautam Gambhir heaped praises on Rohit and Kohli.
"They are quality players, world class players in this format, and their experience is really important in the dressing room," said Gambhir at the post-match press conference after the Vizag ODI against South Africa.
"They are doing what they do best. They have been doing it for such a long time for Indian cricket. Hopefully they can keep doing the same, which is always going to be important, come the white-ball format and the 50-over format."
Tons from Ruturaj Gaikwad (2nd ODI) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (3rd ODI) are what impressed Gambhir the most, and the coach stressed on the need to expand the talent pool. India were without their first choice captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer in the series, and the duo are sure starters once they regain fitness. As things stand, Gambhir opined that it is too early to talk about the 2027 WC squad.
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"First you got to realise that the ODI World Cup is two years away. It's important to stay in the present, and that young boys coming into the set-up grab their opportunities."
"Someone like Rutu (Gaikwad) has batted out of position, but he's a quality player. We wanted to give him an opportunity in this series, because of the kind of form he was in with India A. And he grabbed that opportunity with both hands when we were under pressure. Getting that kind of a 100 was proper quality."
"And Yashasvi as well, we've seen how much quality he has, especially in Test cricket. It's just the start of his career, especially in white-ball cricket. Hopefully he has a massive future ahead and so does Rutu."
India's next ODI assignment is a three-match series at home against New Zealand in January. Meanwhile, Kohli has already made his decision to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India's premier List A tournament. The 37-year-old will be part of Delhi's squad for four games this season.
