India, Dec. 28 -- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have always lived under the spotlight. Regardless of form or phase, scrutiny has followed them everywhere. But 2025 was unlike any other year for India's two senior-most batters. Despite everything they have achieved, both were, at different points, deemed expendable, outdated and nearing the end of their relevance in Indian cricket.

Written off after a lean Test tour of Australia, speculated out of international cricket following their sudden Test retirements, and later surrounded by uncertainty over their ODI futures, Kohli and Rohit found themselves battling perception as much as performance. Yet, time and again, they responded the only way they know how, by scoring runs and reaffirming t...