रो-को का आकर्षण: विराट कोहली ने बताया यह उपनाम क्यों पसंद है

Ro-Ko has a ring to it: Virat Kohli gives his verdict on viral moniker

Virat Kohli has opened up on the 'Ro-Ko' moniker that has caught on as he and Rohit Sharma enter the twilight of their ODI careers. Kohli also explained why he enjoys the tag and what it means for the duo.

There was a time when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were simply two of the biggest names in Indian cricket. Then came the nicknames. Virushka was already a thing. MahiRat followed. And somewhere along the way, with Kohli and Rohit having spent years batting, leading and winning together for India, another one stuck: Ro-Ko.

Kohli, for one, has no complaints.

"Ro-Ko has a nice ring to it," he told JioStar ahead of India's three-match ODI series against the West Indies.

"It sounds nice, it sounds good, and people are having a lot of fun with it."

There is more to the moniker now than just a catchy combination of two names. With both Rohit and Kohli having retired from T20Is after India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph and then calling time on their Test careers in 2025, ODI cricket is the only international format they continue to play.

That has inevitably made their partnership feel different. The two veterans are no longer fixtures across three formats. Every ODI appearance comes with a little more attention, a little more nostalgia and, increasingly, a little more discussion about how long they can continue.

Kohli understands the appeal.

"Now that we only play one format, even from the broadcaster's perspective, I'm sure it's a very nice tagline to use - 'Oh, Ro-Ko aa gaye! They are back'," he said.

"Accha hai (It's nice), it's got a ring to it, and it's benefiting everyone, so it's cool."

The scrutiny surrounding the pair has hardly disappeared. After the 2025 Champions Trophy, there were questions about whether Rohit and Kohli would remain part of India's plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Both, however, have continued to make their case with the bat.

Kohli returned to the ODI set-up strongly in 2026, and briefly returned to the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings. He has not looked back since then, scoring 3 hundreds in his last 10 ODI innings. Rohit, meanwhile, produced a spectacular 138 against England at Lord's in July, becoming the first Indian men's batter to score an ODI century at the iconic ground. The two also shared a 113-run partnership in that game.

For Kohli, though, the equation with Rohit has never been about personal numbers or individual milestones. It has been about finding ways to move the Indian team forward.

"When you have played for so long and you have been in leadership positions respectively for India, the goal is always that, as a senior player, you would bounce off things with your captain," Kohli said.

That understanding has evolved over the years. When Kohli was captain, he leaned on Rohit. When Rohit took over, he did the same with Kohli. MS Dhoni, too, remained part of those conversations when he stepped down from captaincy.

"And similarly for Rohit, when he became captain, he would bounce off ideas with me as well," Kohli said. "So, the conversations have always been about how to take the Indian team forward. Because eventually, the end goal is, how does the team benefit?"

As the 2027 World Cup draws closer, those conversations can become more detailed.

"When the World Cup comes closer, then you're also looking to tighten things a lot more and streamline small little things," Kohli said. "You go into more intense, more detailed conversations of how can we get a particular right, immediately correct it and utilise it in the next game. So, those conversations have always been there between me and him."

I DON'T CONSIDER MYSELF THE GOAT: VIRAT

There is also a personal milestone waiting for Kohli in Thiruvananthapuram. He needs 59 runs against the West Indies to become only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to score 15,000 ODI runs. Kohli currently has 14,941 runs from 314 matches, with 54 centuries, while Tendulkar finished with 18,426.

Yet even with the numbers piling up, Kohli remains reluctant to place himself at the very top of the game's pantheon.

"I don't consider myself the best ever," he said.

His reasoning was simple. Cricket has been played across different eras, by players with different circumstances and different measures of greatness.

"Different players have existed in different times of the sport, and they've done some amazing things, but might not have accumulated those kind of numbers, and some have numbers which are way better than me," Kohli said.

For him, the more meaningful measure has always been impact.

"Everyone's main goal eventually is to create enough impact," he said. "I've been fortunate enough to have played for so long, and of course, when you're motivated to do well over that period, you end up performing more often than not."

"As long as that answer is yes, and you mix up experience, your fitness, game awareness and motivation all together," Kohli said, "I'm blessed that it's still there, and I continue to be excited to play for the country, which is a great honour."

The 2027 World Cup will be Kohli's fifth and, he has now confirmed, his last for India. Rohit, meanwhile, remains part of the ODI plans after a century at Lord's and has been selected for the West Indies series beginning on Sunday.

So perhaps Ro-Ko is more than just a catchy broadcast line after all. It is a shorthand for a partnership that has lasted through captaincy changes, World Cups, triumphs, disappointments and the end of two international careers. And with the 2027 World Cup now on the horizon, there are still a few more chapters for Ro-Ko to write.

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