Everyone had fun with Ro-Ko. Now Rohit and Kohli join the joke in hilarious TV ad

'Ro-Ko' are back, and this time they are having fun with it

"Bro, it's been years."

"But it's still as much fun."

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have spent nearly two decades playing together for India, but their latest collaboration has little to do with runs, wickets or cricketing tactics. The two former India captains have joined hands for a hilarious JioStar advertisement ahead of India's ODI series against Sri Lanka, and the biggest joke is one that they have only recently decided to embrace: Ro-Ko.

Just days ago, Kohli gave his verdict on the nickname that has become synonymous with the pair. "Ro-Ko has a nice ring to it," he said, adding that people were having "a lot of fun with it."

ROHIT'S WOH, KOHLI JOINS IN

Now, the two have taken that fun a step further. In the advertisement, Rohit and Kohli are reunited for a typically playful exchange. Rohit tells Kohli how long it has been, before Kohli responds that the fun is still the same.

"Our boys are also very excited," Kohli says.

"Haan woh," Rohit replies.

Kohli is left confused.

The joke is a nod to one of Rohit's most recognisable conversational habits. The former India captain has often used "woh" when referring to something or someone without immediately recalling the name, leaving those around him to work out what he means.

This time, Kohli plays along.

Rohit then mimics KL Rahul's trademark 'Kantara' celebration and Kohli gets the reference. When it is time to identify Ravindra Jadeja, Kohli joins the joke, using sign language to help Rohit understand that he is referring to the all-rounder's trademark sword celebration.

Then comes Shubman Gill. The pair perform Gill's familiar hat-doffing celebration and declare that he, too, is excited.

"It's a big year, the country is counting on us," they say.

The timing of the campaign is particularly interesting given the attention around the pair's ODI future. With both having retired from T20Is after India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph and from Test cricket in 2025, ODIs are now their only international format.

That was also part of the reason Kohli said the Ro-Ko tag had become such an appealing one.

"Now that we only play one format, even from the broadcaster's perspective, I'm sure it's a very nice tagline to use - 'Oh, Ro-Ko aa gaye! They are back'," Kohli had said.

And they certainly were back during India's recent three-match ODI series against the West Indies.

Kohli began the series with a spectacular unbeaten 139 off 88 balls in Thiruvananthapuram, bringing up his 55th ODI century and becoming only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to reach 15,000 runs in the format. He followed it with 29 in the second ODI in Guwahati and seven in the third in New Chandigarh.

Rohit, meanwhile, scored 32 in the opener before producing a 101 off 75 balls in Guwahati. He then made 92 off 85 in the third ODI. His century came in India's record chase of 406, when he and Gill put together a 255-run opening stand.

India won the series 2-1. They won the first two ODIs by eight wickets before West Indies chased down 352 in the third match to win by five wickets.

The pair will next have an ODI assignment against New Zealand before the Sri Lanka series in December. But before they return to the field, Ro-Ko are clearly happy to have a little fun with the tag that has followed them into this final phase of their international careers.