India, Oct. 27 -- Neither chief selector Ajit Agarkar nor head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted to commit that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would be part of India's plans for the ODI World Cup two years from now, especially as the senior batters have focused on only one format and have been out of competitive action since June. However, Kohli and Rohit demonstrated in Sydney on Saturday that they were never far from the game. Rohit scored a century, while Kohli notched up a fifty in their record 168-run stand as India registered a consolation nine-wicket win in the third ODI against Australia at the SCG.

Rohit, in particular, was the standout player in the series. After being dismissed for just eight runs in the series opener in Perth, he bou...