Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returned to India’s nets on Thursday as the team began preparations for the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram.

The two senior batters trained together at the Greenfield International Stadium, marking their return to India’s ODI setup after more than two months. Their last appearance together came during India’s ODI tour of England in July, with their most recent ODI being the third match at Lord’s on July 14.

Kohli, Rohit get batting practice

Kohli was among the first Indian batters to take part in the net session and played several attacking strokes. According to reports from the training session, he stepped out against Kuldeep Yadav and also struck a straight six off Naman Dhir.

Rohit batted in the second group after a brief rain interruption. He worked on his strokeplay and also asked Prasidh Krishna to bowl short during the session.

India captain Shubman Gill and other members of the ODI squad also took part in the training session. Virat Kohli was seen speaking with Ruturaj Gaikwad during the nets, with Gaikwad returning to the ODI squad for the series.

A new ODI phase under Shubman Gill

The West Indies series will be India's first ODI assignment at home since the return of Rohit and Kohli to the format. Shubman Gill will continue as India's ODI captain, with the team beginning another phase of preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Ravindra Jadeja is also back in the ODI setup, while the series provides opportunities for players such as Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy to strengthen their positions in the squad.

The first ODI will be played at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27. The second ODI is scheduled for Guwahati on September 30, followed by the third match in New Chandigarh on October 3.

For Rohit and Kohli, Thursday's session was the first step towards the upcoming ODI series, with both veterans now back in India's preparations for the next stage of the 50-over cycle.