"That is the glimpse" - When a cricket legend termed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as the future of India's batting

In the space of less than a week, two of India's batting lynchpins - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - have announced their retirement from Test cricket. Rohit and Virat, aged 38 and 36, respectively, will now play only the ODI format for the country after retiring from T20Is in June 2024.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have arguably been India's two most important batters over the last decade and a half. Their incredible rise to the top was predicted by Sunil Gavaskar.

While commentating in an Asia Cup match in Bangladesh in 2012, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar said that the world had gotten a glimpse into the future of Indian batting with Sharma and Kohli.

"Siva, I think we have glimpsed the future. The future of Indian batting. Rahul Dravid has just called it a day. We don't know how long Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman are going to be around. But I think that is the glimpse of India's batting future," Gavaskar told his co-commentator, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, on air.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma prove Sunil Gavaskar right with his prediction

In the 13 years since Gavaskar's prediction, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have served Indian cricket across all three formats with distinction, making critical contributions in many victories.

In ODIs, the duo were part of the 2013 and 2025 Champions Trophy wins. They were also part of the team that won the T20 World Cup in 2024. Kohli and Sharma have also been part of some memorable Test victories, including two wins in England in 2021.

Sharma retired from Test cricket on Wednesday, May 7, while Kohli called it a day from the longest format on Monday, May 12. Both players will continue to play ODI cricket for India, with the former expected to lead the side in the format. India's next ODI assignment will be a three-match series in Bangladesh in August.