The ODI clock is ticking for India's modern greats

Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’


Bob Dylan may not have the Indian cricket team in mind when he wrote this timeless piece way back in 1964, but it lends itself perfectly to the circumstances surrounding the Men in Blue in 2025.

For over a decade, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja were a constant feature in the Indian team across formats. They, along with Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami, were the face, the hands, the legs and the backbone of a team that helped establish India as a dominant force on the field of play that could match its commercial power in the boardrooms and magnetic pull on the billboards.

Over the last one year, India have won two major trophies — the men’s T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy — but they have also edged dangerously close to the end of an era. Virat and Rohit, the batting stalwarts who have retired from Tests and T20Is, are quickly fading away from popular consciousness.

The success of India's young brigade, led by Shubman Gill, on the recent tour of England has only hastened the process.

There may not be any truth in the recent speculations of the BCCI looking to phase out Virat and Rohit from the ODIs and suggestions that the 50-over series Down Under in October could be their farewell. But it’s worth asking how long two ageing stars can keep up with the pace at which the white-ball game is progressing as well as thwart the challenges posed by youngsters? By the time next 50-over World Cup, to be held in 2027, comes along, Virat will be 39 and Rohit 40.

ODIs are no longer the centrepiece of the cricket calendar. Teams are either chasing the T20 boom or committing to the tradition of Test cricket. In the last five years, India have played 79 ODIs, 113 T20Is and 52 Tests. At first glance, these numbers do not look too bad but once you add 70 IPL matches (minimum 14 per season) and count the number of days a Test match keeps you involved, ODI opportunities suddenly look scarce.

While it can be argued that Virat and Rohit will also be playing in the IPL, the long gaps between the competitive cricket that will be available to them are going to be an issue. Their last competitive outings were in the first week of June; their next might be on October 19 — a gap of 140 and 138 days respectively. They will most likely be able to maintain their match fitness, but achieving the batting rhythm is going to be a tough task.

Jadeja, on the other hand, is still thriving in Test cricket. He was India’s thirdhighest run scorer in England with 516 runs, behind Gill (754) and KL Rahul (532). But in ODIs, his place is under pressure from fellow Gujarati Axar Patel, who brings to the field a similar skill set, and the rise of Washington Sundar.

If you set aside experience for a moment and focus on the numbers, either both or at least one of Axar and Washington have been better than Jadeja in three vital bowling parameters:

• Average: Washington 27, Axar 32, Jadeja 35
• Economy: Axar 4.49, Washington 4.84, Jadeja 4.85
• Strike rate: Washington 34.5, Jadeja 43.7, Axar 43.9

With the bat, Jadeja’s average (32.62) outstrips both Axar (22.37) and Washington (23.50). However, Jadeja usually bats at No. 6 or below, a position where impact is mostly measured by strike rate, his strike rate of 85.44 doesn’t spark much confidence. And it’s in this area that Axar becomes a more valuable option for India than Jadeja. More so, Axar’s overall strike rate of 91.47 jumps to 97.97 in the matches India win.

Jadeja, like Virat and Rohit, has also retired from T20Is and may still have a couple more years of Test cricket in him. But his time in ODIs is probably running out faster than his sprints on the field.

The changing of the guard is inevitable. The only question is whether it will be as glorious as their T20I exits, with a World Cup trophy in hand, or as quiet as their Test goodbyes.

And the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.