“Play Domestic Cricket!” – Irfan Pathan’s Warning to Rohit and Kohli
Irfan Pathan urges Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play domestic cricket before Australia white-ball series.
With the Indian squad for the Australia white-ball series announced, former cricketer Irfan Pathan has sent a clear message to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Both stars are set to return to ODIs starting October 19, but Pathan feels they need proper match practice before taking the field.
“Rohit has worked well on his fitness. He is focused on that. But there is regular fitness, and then there is game-time fitness. If you are not playing regular cricket, you have to ensure some game time. They have to play domestic cricket,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Rohit and Kohli last played ODIs in March and have only featured in IPL 2025 since. Irfan Pathan stressed that even the best players can feel gaps in rhythm without consistent matches.
“They are big players and know what to do. But they are not even playing T20Is, so there will be big gaps between the few matches that they play before the big World Cup. They will need regular game time to be fit for that,” he added.
The upcoming series will also see Shubman Gill leading the Indian ODI team, taking over from Rohit Sharma. Gill is the vice-captain in T20Is and has impressed in Tests, boosting his chances as a future all-format captain.
His performance in the Asia Cup 2025 was steady, but the Australia tour will be a bigger test. India will begin with a three-match ODI series followed by five T20Is.
