Aakash Chopra says Rohit, Virat retired from “wrong format”, feels they should have quit ODIs instead of Tests

August 12, 2025

Amidst the media reports of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from ODIs soon, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra said that the Indian heavyweights retired from the wrong format and should have chosen to quit the 50-over format instead of Test cricket due to lack of ODI cricket happening in the present times.

Days after skipper Shubman Gill led India to a brilliant 2-2 draw, reports started emerging that Rohit and Virat could be leaving ODIs as well, with both of them not in plans for the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa and Namibia scheduled for 2027 unless both play domestic 50-over cricket to prove their match fitness and form.

Both cricketers had announced Test retirement ahead of India’s tour to England back in May.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “The truth is that they have said goodbye to the wrong format. They had left T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup, but the story might have been different had they continued to play Tests and said goodbye to ODIs. India played only six ODIs in 12 months before the Champions Trophy.”

“There is a possibility that you might play only six Tests in a year, but even if it is only six Tests, it’s 30 days of cricket. If only six ODIs are played, it’s just six days of cricket over a period of time. It will be more than 100 days from your last IPL match to the next ODI you will play. You are not playing at all. You are not practicing at all,” he added.

Chopra also pointed out that the gaps between ODI series these days are also “incredibly huge” and it would be difficult to sustain form, fitness, commitment to diet etc with just a few ODI games.

“A three-match series gets over in seven to eight days. Then the next one would be after three months. Gaps are just incredibly huge, and you won’t play first-class cricket in between. It’s true that had they continued playing Test cricket and left ODIs, staying in the groove would have been a lot easier,” he said.

“When you have retired from Tests, and ODI cricket is not played much, it is not going to make a lot of sense. So just two months of high-intensity IPL, where you would get to play 14 to 16 innings, and then you would play three matches after six months, and then three matches after another three months. I think it is very, very difficult,” Chopra observed.