Top Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli recently withdrew from Test cricket to concentrate on continuing their careers in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
Though they have made great contributions to the sport, ex-India skipper Sunil Gavaskar is not certain whether they will feature at the 2027 World Cup.
Rohit and Virat have stepped down from T20 Internationals after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, with their attention now mainly centered on ODIs.
Rohit is most famous for his ODI record, with three double centuries on his name, while Kohli boasts a string of 51 ODI centuries. Both are venerated icons of the format.
But Gavaskar has certain doubts regarding their involvement in the 2027 World Cup. As per him, it will entirely depend on how the selectors perceive their possible contribution to the team then.
"Their input into the format has been huge. But the selectors will be deciding if they can still provide the same kind of performance in 2027. They will need to determine whether these two are still able to contribute the same way. If the selectors think they can, then they'll be included," Gavaskar told Sports Today.
Gavaskar, however, opines that according to their current form, both players may not be able to find a place in the team. "No, I don't think they'll be playing. I'm being very honest. But, who knows? If they hit a rich vein of form and keep scoring centuries, even the best cannot drop them," Gavaskar said.
Along with his recent loss of form, Rohit also has fitness issues. His physical fitness has seen him play as an impact replacement in a number of IPL games for the Mumbai Indians.
While Kohli’s fitness appears to be in good shape, evidenced by his stellar IPL performance with 505 runs from 11 games, his ODI form has been less impressive since the 2023 World Cup. Though he has expressed a desire to participate in the 2027 World Cup, it remains uncertain how he will manage to stay fit with limited opportunities to play.
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