IND vs NZ 2026: 'Stop talking about Kohli and Rohit' - Ex-India batter reminds fans of series loss

Former opening batter Aakash Chopra has asked the Indian fans to be more worried about India's ODI form in general rather than worrying about the form of senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and whether the duo will feature at the 2027 World Cup. India recently lost the ODI series 1-2 to New Zealand, their first against the opposition at home.

Chopra highlighted India's concerning ODI form in the recent past and also mentioned that a second-string New Zealand side was able to defeat India at home, even after India's squad being significantly more experienced than the tourists.

"Stop asking this question. We've won only four of nine games in the last three series. We've lost five games. We've lost two series. We lost 2-1 in Australia. We were 2-0 behind at the start. Now, we've lost here to New Zealand. We lost to their second-string team. Stop talking about Kohli and Rohit. You lost despite both of them playing. The question's not about them. The question's about how to improve the team. You've to ask how the Indian team will win," shared Chopra in a video on his YouTube channel.

Reiterating his point, the cricketer-turned-commentator urged the fans and media to 'smell the coffee' and not worry about individuals more than the team and the results they have been dishing out. He hoped for the team to once again become a dominant entity in ODI cricket.

"You don't have to focus on whether Kohli and Rohit would play. If they score runs, they will play. There shouldn't be any questions about Kohli playing. Again, it's one-and-a-half years away. The current truth is that we are being jolted strongly. We didn't use to lose in ODI cricket at home. We used to dominate in ODI cricket. Smell the coffee, bro. Stop talking about Kohli and Rohit. Just focus on doing well. The conversation has to move away from Rohit and Kohli. The conversation should be about how you are losing matches," he added.

The recent ODI series defeat to the Kiwis was the first time India had ever lost a bilateral series in the format in India to the opposition. The two teams will now take on each other across five T20Is, scheduled to commence on January 21.