BCCI President Mithun Manhas has backed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's chances of featuring in the 2027 ODI World Cup, stating that age will not be a factor in deciding their selection. Manhas said fitness and performance should remain the primary criteria as the two former India captains continue to perform at the highest level.
Speaking to Sportstar, "From my perspective, fitness and performance should be the criteria for selection, definitely not age. If someone is fit to play, performing well and winning games for the country, that should be the only criterion we focus on". Both Kohli and Rohit have been in impressive form in ODIs. Kohli has scored 307 runs in his last five innings at an average of 76.75, including an unbeaten 139 against the West Indies last month. Rohit has also delivered outstanding performances, scoring 389 runs in his last five ODI innings at an average of 77.80, including two centuries.
"Having Virat, Hardik (Pandya) and Rohit in the side will definitely help him. Then there are the likes of (Jasprit) Bumrah, who could take charge as the bowling captain, while someone else could lead the fielding unit. So, it is all about distributing the workload," Manhas said. The BCCI president also expressed confidence in Gill's leadership abilities, pointing to his experience captaining Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League alongside his responsibilities with the national team. With the 2027 ODI World Cup approaching, Kohli and Rohit's performances will remain central to discussions about India's squad composition. Manhas' comments make it clear that, as far as selection is concerned, consistent performances and fitness will matter more than age.