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India's senior trio Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin played their last Test on Australian soil during Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. While Ashwin announced retirement and left the tour midway, Kohli and Rohit announced their decision before the squad selection for England tour. None of the three players got a proper send-off. Later this year, Rohit and Kohli will return to Australia for an ODI series and Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg wants to give them a 'great send-off'.
“This might be the last time that we get to see Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma play in our country. And if that is the case, who knows it might not be, but if it is, we wanna make sure we give them a great send off and a reflection of the incredible contribution they’ve made to international cricket," CA CEO Greenberg told the reporters on June 3 as quoted by The Indian Express, the morning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Meanwhile, Greenberg wants Kohli, the crowd-puller, to make his Big Bash League (BBL) debut this year. The statement comes two months after Sydney Sixers' April Fool's prank announcing Kohli has joined the franchise. Greenberg said that the Australian board is in conversation with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow their players to play in the BBL. He is open to IPL franchises investing in BBL teams as they have in England's The Hundred. Not just Kohli, he wants India's current and retired cricketers to play in the BBL.
“That’s certainly some conversations that we will continue to have with the BCCI. I mean, I would love to see, Virat Kohli playing in the BBL this year. That would certainly create some interest in crowds and ratings, I’m sure. But at the moment, that’s not happening, but we do have our ambitions to do those types of things. And as you’re seeing all over the world, T20 leagues are going down a lot of the private investment opportunities.
"We’re seeing that in England recently with The Hundred. A number of the IPL franchises are now taking ownership stakes in the hundred. We’ve got to continue to evolve and innovate the way we run our business here in Australia and making sure that we have an open mind to new things. But the short answer to that question is if we could find opportunities for Indian cricketers, either retired, recently retired, or current players to play in the BBL, they’d be very welcome, and it’s a conversation we’ll continue to have,” Greenberg said.
India vs Australia ODI series schedule
Kohli will play his first ODI since Test retirement at Perth Stadium, the same venue where he scored his last Test hundred. The three-ODI series will begin on October 19. The second ODI is scheduled at Adelaide Oval on October 23. The final ODI of the series will be played at Sydney Cricket Ground, the same ground where Kohli played his last Test.
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