Kohli and Rohit trade jokes at Eden Park nets ahead of first ODI vs New Zealand
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma exchanged light-hearted banter at Eden Park in Auckland during India’s practice session ahead of the first One-Day International against New Zealand on November 4. The interaction followed a request from net bowlers for one of the batters’ bats and was captured during the warm-up ahead of the three-match series.
India travel to New Zealand for a three-match ODI series beginning on November 4, a campaign the squad is using as preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Both Kohli and Rohit, who have retired from Test and T20I cricket and now represent India only in the ODI format, are expected to be prominent figures in the squad. The India group also added fast bowler Auqib Nabi to the squad for the first three ODIs after Prasidh Krishna was ruled out; Nabi had originally been named for the fourth and fifth matches but was brought in earlier.
Ankan Kar of Times Now reported the episode from the Eden Park nets in which a group of net bowlers approached Rohit Sharma and asked him for one of his bats. Rohit declined the request, prompting the bowlers to seek a bat from Virat Kohli instead.
Kohli replied to the bowlers by saying, "I don’t have enough bats. Rohit has plenty!" He then suggested a light-hearted wager that whoever owned more bats between the two would have to hand one over to the net bowlers.
Rohit reacted to the exchange with laughter and, as he walked away, said, "Sab mujhe phasa rahe hain!" which was reported in the same account of the practice session.
Both players have been singled out as ones to watch for India during the New Zealand series, with the matches presented in coverage as an opportunity for Kohli and Rohit to reinforce their places in the 50-over side ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Media reports around the practice session emphasised their central roles in the batting unit.
India open the three-match ODI series against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on November 4, with the tour continuing through the scheduled fixtures that make up the series.