The Indian national cricket team is all set to make the biggest changes ahead of the ICC World Cup 2027. The selectors and team management have reportedly started planning for the future, and the latest reports suggest that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are no longer being looked at in the same way.
While Rohit’s international future is now under serious doubt, Kohli has reportedly received strong support from Indian think tanks for the mega event. The selectors want young players for the future, but Kohli remains a key part of India’s ICC World Cup 2027 plans.
Rohit Sharma is ready to play his last match for India at Lord’s
According to PTI report, the Indian selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar and the team management led by head coach Gautam Gambhir have decided to focus on building a strong and young squad for the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup.
Under the plan, Rohit Sharma is reportedly no longer being considered as India’s first-choice opener for the tournament. Even the former Indian captain was informed about this decision in advance.
The report also claims that if the selectors continue with their current plans, the third ODI against England at Lord’s on July 19 could be Rohit’s last match in the India blue jersey. Meanwhile, Dinesh Lad urged Rohit Sharma to ignore retirement and target the 2027 World Cup.
Virat Kohli gets full support for ICC ODI World Cup 2027
However, things are different for Virat Kohli. PTI’s own report has claimed that both Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir have full faith in Kohli. There are no concerns about his fitness or form and he is an automatic choice for India’s 2027 ICC ODI World Cup squad.
Kohli has been in great form in recent months. He has scored consistently against top teams like South Africa, New Zealand and England and his consistent and match-winning performances have convinced the selectors to build batting teams around him for the mega event.
Rohit’s poor form forced the selectors to look beyond him
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has not been able to perform at his best in the ongoing ODI series against England. The former Indian captain scored only 11 runs in the first match and then scored 26 runs off 47 balls in the second ODI in Cardiff.
His recent ODI record has also not been very impressive as the right-handed batsman has scored 241 runs at an average of over 30 and scored only one half-century in his last eight ODI innings. These performances have forced the selectors to think about a new opening pair for the future.
Interestingly, the new plan has been fully supported by chief selector Agarkar, but his team will not ask Rohit Sharma to retire from ODI cricket. Instead, they want to move forward by giving young players more opportunities ahead of the ICC World Cup next year.
Before the World Cup, Yashasvi Jaiswal will be given increased chances in ODI cricket.
And that face will be Yashasvi Jaiswal. It is being said that the national selectors now want to give Yashasvi regular opportunities before the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 due to his strong performance. Meanwhile, with Pragyan Ojha dismissed, Ajit Agarkar travels to England to brief Rohit Sharma on his ODI future.
The Men in Blue are expected to play around 20 ODI matches ahead of the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup. The selectors reportedly want Jaiswal to play as many of these matches as possible so that he can gain enough experience and become an established opening batsman before the big tournaments.
“There are around 20 ODI matches to be played before the World Cup and the selectors want Jaiswal to get a long-term opportunity in the team. This continuity is important for his development,” PTI quoted a senior BCCI source as saying.