The Rohit-Kohli show gets India home for one 'final' time in Australia

“Thank you, Australia” -the words echoed through the capacity crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground as Rohit Sharma (121 not out) and Virat Kohli (74 not out), the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over a decade, stood tall one last time on Australian soil, with their 19th century partnership in ODIs guiding India to a commanding nine-wicket win and helping the Men-in-Blue avoid a 3-0 whitewash.

- TRIDIB BAPARNASH

As the iconic pair walked off together after the victory, the applause swelled into a standing ovation, a tribute to an era that may never return.

Heading into the three-match ODI series Down Under, questions swirled around whether the veteran duo still had enough fire to make it to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. But in the final ODI, Rohit and Virat rolled back the years with a vintage masterclass, stitching together an unbeaten 168-run stand for the second wicket to help India chase down 237 with nine wickets in hand and 69 balls to spare.

Rohit continued from where he left off at Adelaide, and was in total control of the proceedings during his 69-run partnership with his successor Shubman Gill (24), who perished after nicking one behind off Josh Hazlewood. Unperturbed by the fall of his partner, Rohit dominated the Australian bowlers, allowing Kohli, fresh off two consecutive ducks for the first time in his glorious career, to get his eye in.

Once Kohli got going, Rohit pressed the accelerator to get to his half century off 63 balls with the crowd cheering every run from the duo's blades. The Australian attack, which tormented India in the first couple of games, failed to control the flow of runs as Rohit and Virat maturely rebuilt the ship to take India closer to the target. In the process, the 36-year-old Kohli too brought up his 75th ODI half century off 56 deliveries.