Cricketer-turned-expert Sunil Gavaskar has made a bold claim that Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma won't be part of India's 2027 World Cup team. Notably, the ODI is the only format that the veteran players are still playing after announcing retirement from the Test and T20I formats. Both players have also shown great form and consistency in the ODI format. While Kohli scored a match-winning hundred against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, Rohit was named player of the match in the final against New Zealand in the same tournament.
Both the star players also showed great form in the ODI World Cup 2023. Kohli scored more than 800 runs, while Rohit provided fiery starts upfront, which enabled India to achieve powerful scores in the global event. However, with the ODI World Cup set to be played only in 2027, Gavaskar has reservations about the duo's fitness and intensity levels.
"They have been massive performers in this format of the game. Again, the selection committee will probably be looking at the 2027 World Cup. They will be looking at 'whether will they be able to be in the team for the 2027 World Cup. Will they be able to make the kind of contributions they have been making?'. That will be the thought process of the selection committee. If the selection committee thinks 'yes, they can', then both of them will be there for that," Gavaskar told Sports Today on Monday, May 12.
Sunil Gavaskar stated hard for Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli to maintain place in the ODI team
It is to be noted that India will play 24 ODIs in two years in the buildup to the ODI World Cup 2027. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from the other two formats of the game, it is imperative that the duo maintain prime fitness in the 50-over format. However, Gavaskar feels it's hard for them to maintain peak fitness levels with limited cricket.
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"No, I don't think they will be playing. I am being very honest. But, who knows, in the next year or so, if they strike a rich vein of form, and if they keep scoring hundreds and hundreds, even God can't drop them," Gavaskar concluded.
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Rohit will be 40 by the time the ODI World Cup 2027 kicks off, and Kohli will be 38. The latter's fitness levels will be a huge concern since he is not fielding in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season. There is no doubt about Kohli's fitness levels, as he maintains peak standards. However, in recent times, the 36-year-old's fielding has slightly dipped.
