‘End goal is how team benefits’: Virat Kohli opens up on his conversations with Rohit Sharma

Virat Kohli has opened up on the cricketing conversations he has shared with Rohit Sharma over the years, saying their exchanges have consistently revolved around one objective — finding ways to take the Indian team forward. With both veterans now playing only ODIs and India building towards the 2027 World Cup under Shubman Gill, Kohli said the discussions between two of the country's most experienced players continue to be driven by what benefits the team.

Speaking ahead of India's first ODI against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Kohli reflected on how the exchange of ideas between senior players and captains has remained a feature of the Indian dressing room across different leadership eras. He recalled seeking inputs from Rohit and MS Dhoni during his own captaincy before playing a similar role when Rohit subsequently took charge.

Ideas across captaincy eras

"When you have played for so long and you have been in leadership positions respectively for India, the goal is always that, as a senior player, you would bounce off things with your captain," Kohli told JioStar.

Kohli said the process worked both ways as India's leadership changed hands. When he became captain, he regularly discussed ideas with Rohit and Dhoni, who had recently relinquished the leadership, while Rohit similarly turned to him for inputs after becoming captain.

"So, the conversations have always been about how to take the Indian team forward. Because eventually, the end goal is, how does the team benefit?" Kohli said.

The remarks offer an insight into the working relationship between two players who have occupied central roles in Indian cricket for well over a decade. Kohli took over India's Test captaincy in late 2014 and became the limited-overs captain in 2017, while Rohit subsequently succeeded him and became India's all-format captain in 2022.

World Cup changes conversations

Kohli said the nature of those discussions becomes more intense when a World Cup approaches. Instead of dealing only with broader tactical ideas, the senior players begin focusing on smaller details that could make a difference in major tournaments.

"But of course, when the World Cup comes closer, then you're also looking to tighten things a lot more and streamline small little things," Kohli said. He added that the conversations become increasingly detailed, with an emphasis on identifying an issue, correcting it immediately and putting the solution into practice in the next match.

That process assumes greater significance as India begin sharpening their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Kohli and Rohit have both retired from Tests and T20Is, leaving the 50-over format as their only remaining avenue in international cricket.

Senior voices under Gill

India's leadership structure has changed again, with Gill now captaining the ODI side. The presence of Kohli and Rohit, however, continues to provide the team with two senior players who have experienced multiple World Cups and spent years leading India themselves.

Bowling coach Morne Morkel had also underlined their importance ahead of the West Indies series, saying younger players were being encouraged to draw on the experience of the two veterans. He said the team management wanted emerging players to "pick Virat's brain" and speak to Rohit about situations such as facing the new ball.

Kohli's comments underline how that informal exchange of knowledge has long existed at the senior level as well. Rather than disappearing when the captaincy changed, he said the conversations continued as the responsibility of leadership moved from one player to another.

The three-match series against the West Indies marks another stage in India's preparations for next year's World Cup. Kohli enters the series with 14,941 ODI runs from 302 innings at an average of 58.59, including 54 hundreds and 79 half-centuries.

For Kohli, however, the conversations with Rohit have ultimately been less about individual roles than the direction of the team. As India move through another leadership transition and towards another World Cup, he said the underlying question between the two has remained unchanged — what can they do to help India get better?