Image: Kohli and Rohit's last Australia match had a perfect ending / © ESPNcricinfo
The India tour of Australia finally had a happy ending for the Indian cricket team. After losing the initial two games, the team was able to regain its winning momentum in the final ODI. And it was all due to the bowling greatness of Harshit Rana, who took his career-best figures in this game.
With Australia being bundled out for a low score, India had an easy chase. To make things more exciting for the Indian fans, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had an unbeaten partnership for the second wicket to win the game. Although the series has gone Australia’s way, Indian fans got the happy ending they wanted. After this, several fans took to Twitter, reacting to this win.
When Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made their comeback to the Indian team, several fans doubted whether they would be able to perform or not. Coming back after 7 months had put a lot of pressure on them, from the selectors and even the fans. Rohit didn’t perform well in the first game, while Kohli didn’t do well in the first two games.
Analysts started to think that maybe RoKo is finished. But taking a look at the knock they played in the third ODI, both of them were able to prove the critics wrong. To this, a Twitter page created an iconic meme, where it is written that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are NOT Finished.
Fans on X have been divided, as they assume Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma on one side, and Gautam Gambhir & Ajit Agarkar on the other. Several fans even think that both Gambhir and Agarkar tried their best to remove RoKo from the team. Bringing in the merit system for them, and many other things, such as domestic tournaments, have hinted at it.
But the match showcased numerous records being broken by the greats. With his century, Rohit is likely to become the number one-ranked ODI batsman this time. And Kohli has also been the second-ranked batsman in most runs in ODIs. To this, a Twitter page reacted with a serious child representing Gambhir and Agarkar. The child says that he is happy, but it is not visible on his face.
Every Indian fan is just having one manifestation, which is to watch Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bat together. They have a limited number of games left together before they retire, which makes the fans need to savour every moment. Unfortunately, it was not possible for them to do the same in the first two ODIs.
Still, the last ODI match being played on Saturday went as the best for every Indian fan. Watching Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bat together in Australia and finishing the game was a treat to every Indian fan. It surely was something that refreshed their mood to a great extent.
Rohit Sharma came out as the star of the Indian team in the ODI series. Surely the start of the tour didn’t go in the favor of the Hitman, but who could keep him away from the game for long? He made a comeback in the second ODI and went on to score a magnificent half-century.
To ensure that it was not just a one-time knock, he even continued his form in the third game and brought up a ton. Despite being aged 38, Rohit Sharma was able to win both the POTM and POTS awards both. A Twitter user reacted to this situation and used the iconic meme from 3 Idiots movie to mimic the reaction of Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar to the same.
After the squad for India’s tour of Australia was announced, several questions were raised to the BCCI selectors. To Ajit Agarkar, fans and media persons even asked whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would play the 2027 World Cup or not. Agarkar gave a sharp reply to the same by saying that they are non-committal.
This response surely triggered both RoKo fans at that time. But their idols have given a befitting reply to the selectors with their performances. This shows that Rohit and Virat are fully committed to playing the 2027 World Cup. A Twitter user reacted to this and uploaded an image of Agarkar with the caption, “But sarrr Non-Commital”.
When all the fans were enjoying the famous win grabbed by India, some of them were even busy looking at some shocking stats. And one of them even talked about the same through his Twitter handle, revealing the bar and standards set by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Virat had two ducks in this series, but still he ended at an average of 37.
Several fans also said that Rohit Sharma didn’t do well as usual in this series, but still he had an impressive average of 101. On the other hand, Shubman Gill, with no duck and opening in every innings, had an average of just 14. This meme was meant to show the standards that both senior players have set for the others in the Indian dugout.
All the memorable moments for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were not just limited to their batting. After the match had ended, Virat Kohli proceeded to the dugout and even had an interaction with the fans. He noticed that someone dropped an Indian flag by mistake, and Virat picked it up and handed it over to the fan who dropped it.
This showcased the level of love and respect the King holds for his country, despite living in a different nation. A Twitter user reacted to the same using a meme, where Sachin Tendulkar held the photo of Virat Kohli high in his hands. Through this, it is being portrayed that the legacy of Tendulkar was very well carried by Kohli.
The India tour of Australia must have been one to forget for Virat Kohli. He started off the tournament with two consecutive ducks, which shocked the entire cricketing world. This was for the first time in his career that Virat ended up getting two ducks in consecutive games across any format.
When he came to bat for the team in the third game, every fan had their heartbeats high. But they surely came down when Kohli had completed his first single, to ensure that he wouldn’t end the series with all ducks. To make this moment more funnier, Virat Kohli also celebrated the moment he had completed his first run of the series.
Travis Head and Rohit Sharma remain in an unforgettable bond for the Indian fans. Even in an interview, Travis Head called Rohit the most handsome player in the Indian cricket team. It should also be noted that most of Head’s match-winning knocks against India came when Rohit Sharma was the skipper.
When Rohit is not the skipper, Head even failed to score well for the Aussies, like in the current ODI series. In the third ODI match, Head was caught on camera staring at the Hitman and coming close to him. To this, a Twitter user reacted by asking Travis Head what was going on. Things got crazier when a parody account of Travis Head reacted and said nothing.
Virat Kohli did not start well in the India tour of Australia. He began with two consecutive ducks, and for the first time, he registered a duck in Australia. This eventually led to his ODI average in Australia being dropped below 50. Fans thought that maybe he would end his final tour of Australia below 50 average.
For the third ODI, Virat Kohli had to score 73* runs to ensure that his average in Australia crossed 50 runs. And being down at the run chase, no Australian bowler had the power to stop him. A Twitter user remarked on this situation and said that Kohli scored 74 runs in his final match in Australia, to end with a 50+ average.
Fans had waited for Rohit Sharma to score a century for a long time. Playing just one format of the game even made them think that it would be tough for the Hitman to smash a ton. But a Twitter user showcased his dedication to Rohit Sharma, as he decided that he wouldn’t post anything on his X handle till Rohit scored a century.
This tweet came back on 6 August, and he had to wait till the Australian tour. Finally, in the final game of the series, his wait came to an end with the Hitman smashing a ton in Australia. The Twitter user also marked his comeback to the platform, and it shows that even Rohit Sharma wanted his fans to tweet on their handles.