NEW DELHI: As Team India prepares for the 2025 Champions Trophy, former cricketer Aakash Chopra has suggested that this tournament could mark the final ICC event for three of India’s biggest stars — Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.
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With the next ICC event two years away, Chopra believes the Indian team may undergo significant changes by then, making it uncertain whether the trio will feature in future global tournaments.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra admitted with a “heavy heart” that the Champions Trophy might be the last ICC event for the three veterans.
“The Champions Trophy is about to happen, and after that, there will be another ICC event this year, which is the WTC (World Test Championship) final, but we haven’t reached there. So none among Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja will play that,” Chopra remarked.
Looking ahead, he highlighted that India’s next ICC tournament is the 2026 T20 World Cup, a format all three have already retired from. The next ODI World Cup in 2027, meanwhile, feels “too far,” and by then, the team could look vastly different.
“The world will look very different by 2027. I think the players also feel this could be their last,” Chopra stated.
However, Chopra clarified that the trio’s continuation in the Indian team wouldn’t depend solely on their ability to play but rather on whether the team still needs them.
“The question won’t be whether these players can continue till 2027. The real question will be whether Indian cricket can survive without them or not,” he explained.
With India set to open their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai, all eyes will be on Kohli, Rohit and Jadeja as they potentially make their final ICC tournament appearance together.
