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India’s white-ball tour to Australia begins on Sunday and, even with a T20 World Cup only months away, the focus is far greater on the one-day internationals with one big question hanging over the series – will this be the end of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma?

The 2026 edition of the T20 World Cup will be cohosted by holders India and Pakistan in February and March, but Kohli and Rohit, who played large roles in the victory at the 2024 edition, have retired from the format, along with the Test game.

The next 50-over Cricket World Cup will be cohosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in October and November 2027, which has long left the question as to whether Kohli and Rohit, 36 and 38 respectively, will be able to reach one more global event for India.

Boasting almost 600 ODIs between them, Kohli and Rohit are now in the spotlight as to whether they have an international future beyond the three-match series, which begins in Perth on Sunday.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the situation and the series as a whole.

When did Kohli and Rohit last play for India?

The pair last played for India in the Champions Trophy final in March in which they beat New Zealand, with Rohit relinquishing the captaincy after the game.

What has been said about Kohli and Rohit’s India futures?

The 2027 World Cup dream appeared slim with head coach Gautam Gambhir tight-lipped when asked this week whether the duo might continue on under new captain Shubman Gill when he leads the ODI squad for the first time in Australia.

Gambhir said he was refusing to look that far even if he does not doubt their quality, while India appear eager to control a transition rather than be caught in its throes.

“Look, the 50-over World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away, and I think it is very important to stay in the present,” Gambhir, who oversaw the completion of the Test series victory against West Indies on Tuesday, told reporters.

“Obviously, they are quality players, they are coming back, their experience is going to be a handful in Australia as well.

“Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour, and more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful series.”

Rohit, who captained India to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, will be 40 by the next edition of the 50-over showpiece.

Kohli, who was part of India’s World Cup-winning 2011 squad, may have the better chance being two years younger.

Brace yourselves…they’re 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙄𝙣 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙨 🔥

Rohit Sharma 🤝 Virat Kohli

🎥 Watch on loop as the duo gears up for #AUSvIND 💪 #TeamIndia | @ImRo45 | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/u99yHyFfwJ

Are Kohli and Rohit the only World Cup doubts for India?

The future is also uncertain for all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who turns 37 in December.

Jadeja was part of the recent Champions Trophy-winning squad but has been dropped from the 50-overs squad for Australia.

Jadeja still hopes to play the next World Cup and defused any drama that usually trails big-name omissions, saying his axing has been explained to him.

“It is a good thing that they communicated the reason behind my omission,” Jadeja said during the second Test against West Indies.

“But whenever I get a chance next, I will try and do what I have done all these years.

“Winning a World Cup is everyone’s dream. We had narrowly missed out the last time, the next time we will try and make up for it.”

Are Australia ready for India, with or without Kohli and Rohit?

If Australia is to be Kohli and Rohit’s last taste of international cricket, it will be in front of crowds packed with fans from the country’s booming Indian communities in Perth, Adelaide (October 23) and Sydney (October 25).

A number of Test players in the Australia squad, including batter Travis Head and veteran pacemen, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, will use the series to loosen up for the Ashes, which looms large over this series.

The first Ashes Test against England starts in Perth on November 21 and runs through to the fifth Test in Sydney, which starts on January 3.

It will be Starc’s first start in international cricket in the Australasian summer, having retired from T20s.

What is the latest injury news for Australia and captain Cummins?

Marnus Labuschagne, a late call-up to replace injured all-rounder Cameron Green, will hope to convert his hot red-ball form into white-ball runs to continue building his case for an Ashes recall.

Labuschagne was dropped from the Test side for the tour of West Indies but has roared back into contention with centuries in his last two Sheffield Shield matches for Queensland.

Cricket Australia said on Friday that Green had been ruled out of the ODI series after having “low grade side soreness” in training and would likely return to play in Shield cricket.

The all-rounder joins Pat Cummins on the sidelines, with the regular skipper struggling to shake off lower back bone stress which has put him in doubt for the start of the Ashes.

Australia will also be without regular wicketkeeper Alex Carey for the Perth opener against India, along with spinner Adam Zampa.

Josh Philippe will be behind the stumps, while left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann gets a rare chance in the one-day side in Zampa’s absence.

As the Group of 20 leaders gather in Cape Town, clean air features on the agenda as a standalone priority for the first time in the forum’s history. The reality, however, is stark. Outdoor air pollution claims 5.7 million lives each year, and a report released last week highlights the lack of international development finance for clean air. Only $3.7bn was spent globally in 2023, representing barely 1 percent of aid, with only a fraction reaching Africa.

As the minister chairing the G20’s environment workstream this year, I am proud to have worked with member countries and international organisations to place air pollution firmly on the agenda. When Japan held the presidency in 2019, the focus was on marine plastics. Last year, under Brazil’s leadership, the G20 prioritised finance for forests. This year, we sought to treat the right to breathe clean air with the urgency it deserves.

In South Africa, our Constitution guarantees every person the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing. That principle guides our domestic policy and informs our leadership of the G20’s discussions.

This is the first G20 presidency on African soil, a fitting setting to confront this crisis. Africa is the fastest urbanising continent on Earth, and the choices we make today in how we power our homes, move our people, and build our cities will shape health, climate, and economic outcomes for decades to come. The burden of air pollution is already visible in hospital admissions, school absenteeism, and productivity losses across the continent. According to the World Bank, outdoor air pollution causes global economic losses equivalent to nearly 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) each year.

This reality is now reshaping the global debate. In May, governments adopted the world’s first global goal on air quality at the World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly, which aims to halve deaths caused by poor air by 2040. It was a landmark step, but without finance to match ambition, such commitments risk remaining words on paper.

Our G20 deliberations identified four barriers to cleaner air. The first is limited institutional capacity. The second is inadequate monitoring and data, leaving policymakers and citizens without reliable information. The third is weak cooperation across borders. The fourth is the shortage of finance relative to the scale of the problem.

The Clean Air Fund’s recent report makes this plain. In 2023, support for outdoor air quality in sub-Saharan Africa fell by 91 percent to only $11.8m. Globally, just 1 percent of aid was spent on clean air, and only 1 percent of that reached sub-Saharan Africa. In other words, less than one-10,000th (1/10,000) of global development funding supports clean-air efforts in one of the regions most in need.

That is not only inequitable; it is also economically short-sighted. Clean-air action reduces healthcare costs, boosts productivity, and supports the transition to more resilient economies.

South Africa’s own experience demonstrates what is possible. Through the National Air Quality Framework and the National Environmental Management Act, we have built a foundation for accountability and transparency in monitoring air quality. We have strengthened coordination between national and municipal governments, introduced targeted interventions in the Highveld and Vaal Triangle, and expanded our air-quality monitoring network so that communities can access real-time data. These measures are supported by our broader Just Energy Transition, which directs investment towards cleaner transport, renewable power, and improved waste management.

The lesson is that progress requires both political will and predictable finance. Domestic measures alone are not enough. International financial institutions and development banks must embed clean-air objectives within climate and development portfolios.

This year’s G20 discussions also underscored the importance of data. You cannot manage what you cannot measure. Expanding reliable air-quality monitoring networks in low-income countries is one of the smartest investments the international community can make. It empowers local decision-makers, supports innovation in clean technologies, and strengthens accountability.

The message from Cape Town is clear: clean air belongs at the top table. That recognition must now be matched by sustained progress to deliver measurable outcomes. In practice, this means embedding clean-air objectives at the heart of development finance and prioritising regions that have been left behind, especially across Africa, where pollution levels are high but funding remains negligible.

Clean air is not a peripheral issue; it is central to achieving climate goals, health targets, and sustainable growth. The science is clear: the same pollutants that harm human health also warm the planet. Tackling them together delivers faster and more cost-effective results.

We therefore call for a collective effort among governments, development partners, and the private sector to ensure that clean air becomes a central measure of success in the global transition. The right to breathe clean air is universal. Delivering it requires fairness, commitment, and finance that match ambition.