'That’s a great way to stay in touch...': Champions Trophy-winning star urges Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to take a page from MS Dhoni’s book

Former India speedster Varun Aaron urged the senior batting duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to learn from MS Dhoni as they failed to perform in the first ODI against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth. He believes that Rohit and Virat need to play more cricket, and they should learn from MSD, who continued to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy despite taking retirement from Tests.

Varun Aaron's advice to RoKo

Rohit and Virat, who donned the India jersey after seven months, got out after scoring eight and a duck, respectively and put Shubman Gill-led side in a spot of bother.

“Play domestic cricket. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starts in November and then the Vijay Hazare Trophy starts in December. That’s the best way to be in touch with the game. I remember when MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket, he played a few Syed Mushaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy. That’s a great way to stay in touch. I am sure both the batters are going to look at that. Now, you are not playing two formats. They are going to need match practice,” said Aaron on Star Sports.

MS Dhoni represented Jharkhand in the domestic circuit after retiring from Tests in 2015, and he also featured in seven Vijay Hazare Trophy matches in the 2015-16 season.

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Rohit and Virat's last domestic appearance

Rohit and Virat featured for Mumbai and Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, respectively, after their flop show against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The dup will now reportedly feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Rain played spoilsport in 1st ODI

Coming back to the 1st ODI, the clash was reduced to a 35-over-a-side game after the second rain interruption. India were in a spot of bother at 37 for three in 11.5 overs when rain halted the proceedings. Each bowler can bowl a maximum of 7 overs each. Shreyas Iyer (6) and Axar Patel (7) are key for India's total.