High-stakes audition for Ro-Ko

Team India face a buoyant South Africa side in the first ODI

- PTI

India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the setup for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.

Both Rohit and Kohli now compete in just one international format, and with India scheduled to play only six ODIs in the next two months -- three against the Proteas and three versus New Zealand at home in January -- the stakes have rarely been higher for two of Indian cricket's modern-day greats.

The performance in these games could have a direct bearing on their prospects for the 2027 ODI World Cup. It may not seal their 2027 World Cup destinies, but it begins a high-stakes audition -- one that could either extend two legendary careers or nudge them closer to an inevitable sunset.

A slice of symbolism