"Not out, not done": Indian cricketing stars hail 'Ro-Ko' for blockbuster partnership at Sydney

New Delhi [India], October 25 (ANI): The Indian cricket fraternity expressed immense joy as the superstar batting duo of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli helped India seal a nine-wicket win in the third ODI against Australia with their unbeaten 168-run partnership, emphasising how they are not going anywhere anytime soon and are "not out, not done".

Ro-Ko shook off the rust and lack of rhythm of first two ODIs which were lost, launching a full-blown assault on Australian bowlers during a successful chase of 237 runs. The 'Hitman' slammed an unbeaten 121*, while Virat made a return to form with a rock-solid, risk-free 74*. While performances and lack of rhythm raised if they could maintain their rhythm till the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, the icons have fired the first warning sign, that they are not done yet.

Former cricketer Wasim Jaffer posted on X, "Not out. Not done. #AUSvIND".

https://x.com/WasimJaffer14/status/1982033836340064656

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan also posted on X, "Happiness is seeing Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli finishing the game for Team India."

https://x.com/IrfanPathan/status/1982027933985427691

India's World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also hailed the batting duo with over 5,400 runs as a batting duo together in ODIs, posting separate Instagram stories for them.

Ex-Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan, who in the 2010s formed a formidable top three with Rohit and Virat, also hailed the batters for showing "pure class".

"What a Match ! Boys were on fire today @ImRo45and @imVkohli showed pure class maza aa gaya dekh ke! Great Performance by the team, everyone played with heart," posted Dhawan on X.

https://x.com/SDhawan25/status/1982078659302400428

Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif also said that despite all the chatter, the batting icons have shown that they are not going anywhere.

"Too much social media chatter about their future, but Ro-Ko shows they will be around, they ain't going anywhere," posted Kaif on X.

Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. A 61-run stand between skipper Mitchell Marsh (41 in 50 balls, with five fours and a six) and Travis Head (29 in 25 balls, with six fours) started off things for Australia.

Matt Short contributed a knock of 30 in 41 balls, with two fours, and a 59-run stand between Matt Renshaw (56 in 58 balls, with two fours) and Alex Carey (24 in 37 balls, with a four) took the Aussies to 183/3. But from there, Aussies collapsed to 236 all out in 46.4 overs, with Harshit Rana (4/39 in 8.4 overs), Washington Sundar (2/44) being the pick of the bowlers and Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav getting one each.

In the 237 run-chase, India was off to a solid start with a 69-run opening stand between Shubman Gill (24 in 26 balls, with two fours and a six). From there, something happened that fans had waited for all series, as Rohit Sharma (121* in 125 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (74* in 81 balls, with seven fours) put on an unbeaten 168-run partnership and achieved several milestones, winning the match with nine wickets still in hand.

Rohit won the 'Player of the Match' award and the 'Player of the Series' award as well for top-scoring in the series with 202 runs, including a century and a fifty each. (ANI)

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