Bringing an end to a significant chapter in their decorated careers, Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from Test cricket in the space of a week. Rohit announced his retirement from Test on May 7, while Kohli called time on his Test career on May 12. Having already retired from T20Is, the only format now available to them is the ODIs.
Rohit and Kohli, who have been two pillars of Indian cricket for over a decade, announced their Test retirement a month ahead of India’s tour of England for five Tests. Now, both players will be aiming to represent India at the ODI World Cup 2027, but former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that both batters will have to remain in rich form if they hope to be selected for the World Cup.
“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 they will 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 said on Sports Today.
When asked to share his thoughts on Rohit and Kohli’s presence at the ODI World Cup 2027, Gavaskar said he doesn’t think they will be playing unless they demonstrate some blazing form to woo the selectors.
“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 said.