Back with new zeal

Kohli, Rohit take centre stage as India eye winning start to NZ ODIs

- S KANNAN

India's Rohit Sharma and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer during a practice session

(PTI)

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have proved, repeatedly, they are still relevant to Indian cricket. As the Shubman Gill-led side takes on New Zealand in a three-match ODI series, starting in Vadodara on Sunday, the focus is on RoKo, as the two former India captains are known.

Gill and his deputy Shreyas Iyer have both battled fitness issues. At the press conference on Saturday in Vadodara, Gill spoke of how he has taken his own omission from the T20 squad for the ICC World Cup in the right spirit. Perhaps, Gill also needs to understand he is more under the scanner for his fitness and form.

It seems like yesterday Gill was piling on runs in the Test series in England last year. However, his current form is worrying, more so as he is captain in two formats. As far as Iyer is concerned, he has bounced back from a spleen surgery after getting injured in Sydney last year during an ODI series.