Last Tango: Possibly final time Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play for India in T20I format

This Saturday afteron in Barbados, Indian fan would want Rohit Sharma to drag his jaded body towards dug-out trying to hide a tear welling up at corner of his eye.

Indian fan would want to revisit Virat Kohli's blank stare towards podium where coveted ODI World Cup trophy rested exactly seven months and 10 days back.

What y would surely want is to see two greats do a memorable tango in probably ir 'Last Dance' in game's shortest format, at least in India colours.

If one understands drift of Indian cricket's ecosystem, wher it is BCCI mandarins or national selectors, y want troika of Kohli, Rohit and also Ravindra Jadeja to go out on a high from format.

This is because next month's Zimbabwe series would certainly usher in a new dawn keeping in mind 2026 T20 World Cup in India.

To prepare for any global trophy, core needs to be finalised two years in advance and in 2026, a 39-year-old Rohit or a nearly 38-year-old Kohli or even Jadeja are unlikely to fit in.

At this point, with focus firmly on final, one wants to use sensitive 'R' word as far as T20Is are concerned but it is believed that if India can beat South Africa in Barbados on Saturday, both skipper Rohit and Kohli would kw that in this format, y have thing more left to achieve.

re may or may t be a formal anuncement as y would continue be a part of IPL, where y are still two of biggest brands apart from Mahendra Singh Dhoni and n-cricketer -- Shah Rukh Khan.

For Kohli, it will be completion a of cycle with all three ICC white-ball trophies (2011 ODI World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy) in his cabinet.

Just like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara decided immediately after beating India in that 2014 T20 World Cup final that y would both quit shortest format, one doesn't kw if two greats would do something similar.

Kohli and Rohit, two generational talents with 8334 T20I runs, six centuries, 69 fifties and 119 catches between m are last bridge between old and new and y both deserve to be in same frame with that trophy in hand.

Both are World Cup winners but those two victories belonged to Dhonis, Sachin Tendulkars, and Yuvraj Singhs way more. This trophy would rightfully belong to m.

Champions have egos -- some have pretty prounced ones, while few ors keep m concealed.

One could gauge pain in Kohli's eyes after he got out against England and if anyone wants to count 'King' out of final, do it at your own peril.

For Rohit, if one wants to sum up vember 19, 2023 for him, apt coin would be Sudhir Mishra's 1996 cult classic "Is Raat Ki Subaah Nahi".

Even if he asserts that he has moved on, wounds have healed, he would still be itching for a closure.

One can say with a degree of certainty that had India won 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit would t have been desperate to play this edition of T20 World Cup.

He wants some kind of closure as far as white ball global triumph is concerned. A T20 World Cup triumph would give him that.

His popularity is organic. Dhoni was "Mahi bhai" to his juniors, a man y revered. Kohli earned respect with his humongous on-field achievements. But Rohit gets love, unadulterated -- from peers as well as juniors.

wonder Ravichandran Ashwin chokes while narrating how skipper asked one of team physios to accompany spinner to Chennai after his mor had a health scare and that too in middle of a Test match.

y have seen crests and troughs of Indian cricket toger for more than a decade.

y had arrived when kia 3310 was in vogue and in ir twilight zone, y are witness to change in nature of fandom-- every third android phone owner is eir a 'Viratian' or a 'Rohitian'.

Thankfully for Rohit and Kohli, re is thing more to prove.

If Saturday indeed is ir 'Last Dance' in T20Is, void will be difficult to fill t just in terms of quality but also, and perhaps more so, emotionally. PTI KHS PM KHS PM PM