India are set to embark on a white-ball tour of England, where they will play five T20Is and three ODIs. The ODI series in England will be greatly important for Indian stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in their quest to play ODI World Cup 2027. Both the legends have stepped away from Tests and T20Is, and ODI cricket is the only format the pair remain active in, hoping to mark their presence at the global event. For over many months, there have been contrasting opinions surrounding their future. Meanwhile, the latest voice comes from former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who has shared his thoughts on the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Kaif asserted that both players will play the 2027 World Cup.
"I will take the guarantee of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Rohit is working on his fitness; he will push himself and somehow manage to play. Injury happens to everyone, even to youngsters. He has that passion, the temperament is seen in his batting. His batting as a captain and as a player is very different. The approach has changed. He is not pouncing on every ball," he said on his YouTube channel.
Recently, Rohit Sharma was in action in a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, amassing 177 runs across the three matches. Virat Kohli missed the series due to injury. While he is in the ODI squad for the England series, his participation is subject to fitness. India will kick off their England tour with a five-match T20I series, to be held from July 1 to July 11. Following which, they will face each other in the highly anticipated ODI series, to be played on July 14, 16, and 19 at Birmingham, Cardiff, and London.
India ODI squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar