During his first official press conference as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team on Monday (July 22), Gautam Gambhir said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma still have a lot of cricket left to offer, and the duo can feature for India in the 2027 ODI World Cup if they manage to keep their fitness.
“They have shown what they can deliver on the big stage. Whether it is the T20 World Cup or the ODI World Cup, I think both of them have a lot more cricket left in them. We’ve got the Champions Trophy and a tour of Australia, so they will be motivated. If they keep their fitness, then even the 2027 World Cup,” Gambhir said in Mumbai before Team India’s departure to Sri Lanka for the upcoming white-ball series.
Gambhir’s remark on the legendary batting duo’s future in Team India went viral within no time, and taking note of it, former India captain and chief selector Kris Srikkanth has now made a big statement by saying that Kohli will definitely play for India in the next 50-over megaevent, but Rohit can’t.
According to him, Rohit is a good player, but in three years he will turn 40, and one can’t play in their 40s. He feels that Rohit may collapse if he plays in the next World Cup, which takes place in South Africa.
“He (Rohit) is a good player, but his age is 37 presently, and the next ODI World Cup is three more years ahead. He will be 40 years old then. You can’t play the World Cup at 40s. Yeah, Virat Kohli could play in the 2027 World Cup, in my opinion, for sure. But for Rohit, Mr. Gambhir, you went overboard; he will faint in South Africa,” he said during a discussion with his son Anirudha on his YouTube channel.
Rohit, who became the third Indian captain to win an ICC trophy last month, has announced his retirement from T20Is after India’s win in the T20 World Cup 2024 final over South Africa on June 29. He will be back in action for India next month during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in Colombo, which starts on August 2.
Rohit, on a number of occasions in the past, has expressed his desire to win the ODI World Cup for India. Under his leadership, India came close to lifting the title last year but suffered defeat in the final.
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