Focus on Rohit and Kohli as Team India departs to Dubai for Champions Trophy

Dressed nattily in a white Tshirt and black tracks Rohit Sharma got down from his car and walked towards his teammates at the departure lounge amid loud calls of Rohit bhai and Rohit sir by fans waiting near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport entranceMost of the squad members arrived in the team bus including head coach Gautam Gambhir vicecaptain Shubman Gill and star batter Virat Kohli and the stars obliged some fans by signing autographs or waving at a few of themSoon the team boarded an afternoon flight to Dubai for the upcoming Champions Trophy amid heightened optimism of netting another global trophy after winning the T20 World Cup last JuneA Jasprit Bumrahless India will open their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai before the muchanticipated blockbuster against traditional rivals Pakistan February 23 and then the Men in Blue will take on New Zealand on March 2 to round off their league engagementsThe confidence of the fans and the team has been boosted by Indias recent 30 ODI series whitewash at home over EnglandThose supporters assembled at the Mumbai airport will be hoping that the icons led by Rohit and Kohli will pull off another triumph like they did in the West Indies last yearOne last opportunity for greats Few months ago Hardik Pandya had walked out with the T20 World Cup trophy hoisted on his shoulders to join a sea of passionate fans on the streets near the Wankhede Stadium for an open bus paradeIf those scenes are to be repeated next month then India will need some runs from Rohit and Kohli who have copped heavy criticism after repeated failures in Test cricketBut they replied in kind as Rohit made a characteristically fluent hundred a 90ball 119 in Cuttack ODI against England and Kohli his 73rd fifty in AhmedabadThis might have brought them a temporary relief but a productive outing in the Champions Trophy is mandatory in the context of the duos future in topflight cricketWith the emphasis firmly on hitting the next World Test Championship cycle from June and building a team for the 2027 50over World Cup the Ajit Agarkarchaired selection panel will closely observe how the two veterans fare in DubaiKohli needs 37 runs to become the third batter ever in ODI history to make 14000 runs while Rohit is only 12 runs away from becoming the 10th batter to complete 11000 runs But without a trophy those numbers will lose some heaviness around themA chance for young turksA big promotion came young Gills way when he was named the ODI vicecaptain and the batter who averages nearly 61 in the format will be keen to stamp his authority with a fruitful outing in the Champions TrophyThe injuryenforced absence of Bumrah is an opportunity for the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana while Varun Chakravarthy would want to prove himself as the surprise strike weaponA coming together of all these factors will determine whether India will touch back in Mumbai as a boisterous winning group sometime next monthTill then fans can immerse themselves in joyous optimismWith agency inputs