Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are now part of the Indian Cricket Team only for ODIs. This month, two of India’s greatest batsmen said farewell to Test cricket. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from the red-ball format and will henceforth represent the national team only in One Day Internationals (ODIs). They had already retired from the T20 International format in June of last year.
Notably, both Sharma and Kohli were included in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) annual central contracts released last month. The BCCI named 34 players across four grades: A+, A, B, and C.
Sharma and Kohli are both in the highest grade, A+, which comes with the top annual salary of INR 7 crore. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are the other two players in the A+ category under the BCCI contracts.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will retain their Grade A+ contracts.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Grade A+ contracts will continue even though they have retired from T20Is and Tests. They remain members of the Indian cricket team and will continue to receive all the benefits associated with the Grade A+ category,” Saikia told ANI.
Rohit Sharma, who captained India in Tests, played 67 matches, scoring 4,301 runs at an average of 40.58. He hit 12 centuries, with his highest score being 212 against South Africa.
Virat Kohli appeared in 123 Tests, accumulating 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. He scored 30 centuries in the red-ball format, including seven double centuries. His highest score was 254, also against South Africa in 2019.
Sharma and Virat Kohli will next don the national jersey during the ODI series against Bangladesh in August 2025. Currently, both are participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, which is set to resume on May 17. Sharma plays for the Mumbai Indians (MI), while Kohli represents Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).