A former BCCI selector has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India selectors to make Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli key members of the Indian team for the next World Cup to be held in South Africa in 2027.
India have performed excellently in the recent series against Australia and South Africa in the longer format of white-ball cricket. India traveled to Australia and lost the series 2–1 to the hosts; However, it marked the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to international cricket.
The South Africa series caught the veteran’s attention as he scored impressive half-centuries and centuries as well. A former BCCI selector urged the board and team management to consider him for the World Cup.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s place in the World Cup team is not confirmed.
Since their return to international cricket, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been performing well for India. He has scored 700+ runs in the last 6 matches and has scored 3 centuries (2 by Virat Kohli) and 5 half-centuries (3 by Rohit Sharma) between them.
With 22 months left for the ICC event in South Africa, both of these great players should now be provided some clarity on their places in the team. However, Gautam Gambhir intends to stick to the present and considering his fitness and age concerns, there are many hurdles in his way for the next World Cup.
Both players will next be seen in India’s domestic circle in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and New Zealand ODI series to be held in January 2026.
As long as Virat Kohli and Rohit are around, the plan will have to revolve around them – former BCCI selector
Devang Gandhi has shared that these veterans should be the foundation of India’s core team for the 2027 ICC World Cup.
“As long as Virat Kohli and Rohit are there, the plan will revolve around them. The management should now stick to a pool of 20-plus players. Before the 2019 World Cup, no one was given enough chances to settle down at No. 4. When the top order crumbled in the semi-finals, no one was prepared,” Gandhi told TOI.
They have a strong desire to win the ODI World Cup as India last won it in 2011, and since then, they have missed the 2023 domestic World Cup by a very close margin. Gandhi considers the fact that India will have to settle on a backup as well as a fixed XI; Otherwise, there is often some flaw left within the team, which affects the final results in ICC tournaments.
He said, “Same thing happened in the 2023 World Cup, when the team management was forced to play Suryakumar Yadav, whose ODI record was not good.”
India are struggling to fix their middle/lower order
Devang Gandhi also mentioned that, with two veterans, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, there is a need for some degree of clarity around the middle-order players as well. Apart from Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, no other player has been able to cement his role in the playing eleven.
Players like Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel have been performing consistently for India, while Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal have also registered their maiden centuries in this series. However, they have several other players like Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar who are competing for a place in the eleven.
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