"They Will Bounce Back Strongly"- Ifran Pathan Expects Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma To Regain White-Ball Form

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has backed senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to ease into white-ball cricket with the upcoming ODI series against England.

Both struggled in red-ball cricket in the Test series against Australia. While Rohit scored just 31 runs in the series, Kohli scored 190 runs in nine innings including a hundred at Perth. India's series loss is directly associated with the big guns not getting runs.

ODI Is Their Favourite Format: Pathan On Rohit, Kohli

However, Irfan Pathan has asserted that the white-ball format is the best format for both these players and they will be able to continue their dominant run in the format despite a lean run in red-ball cricket.

“They’ll start scoring runs in white-ball cricket; there’s no doubt about that. Test cricket is a different ball game altogether. Adjustments are needed, whether it’s Virat managing deliveries outside the off-stump or Rohit finding his rhythm. ODI is their favourite format, and they’ll bounce back strongly," Pathan told PTI.

India lost the series against Sri Lanka in 2024 when Rohit and Virat last played ODI cricket for India. They previously had a brilliant run in the ODI World Cup with Kohli scoring 765 runs and Rohit 597 finishing as the top-two run-getters in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Rohit returned to playing domestic cricket against Jammu & Kashmir and Kohli will return to the format against Railways from January 30. He missed Delhi's first game against Saurashtra due to a neck stiffness. Pathan also commented on the duo getting back to playing domestic cricket as well.

"It’s about playing domestic cricket, but don’t play a couple of matches just for the sake of it and show that you’ve played. Playing regularly benefits both players and Indian cricket. For young players, competing against the likes of Kohli or Rohit at the domestic level can be a tremendous confidence boost as they would also raise their levels to bowl to them. Ultimately, Indian cricket gains from this" Pathan commented on the senior duo's return to domestic cricket.

The ODI series against England starts from February 6 with Nagpur hosting the first ODI. The second ODI will be played in Cuttack (February 9) and the third in Ahmedabad (February 12). Both Rohit and Kohli will then play the Champions Trophy for Team India.