Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, weighing in on whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will feature in the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup, said it's too early to make any definitive calls about the 2027 World Cup. India are set to play a three-match ODI series against Australia, beginning October 19 in Perth, and Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are part of the squad. Meanwhile, Agarkar made clear that neither Rohit nor Kohli would be on trial during the series.
"Look they are part of the squad at the moment for Australia. They have been incredible players for a long period of time. In two years' time, we don't know what the situation is going to be. So why just them two? It could be some other younger players," Agarkar said during NDTV World Summit 2025 on Friday.
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have stepped away from T20Is and Test cricket, narrowing their international focus to the 50-over format. This shift naturally brings the 2027 World Cup in South Africa into focus. But according to Agarkar, both players are not being assessed under a microscope during the Australia series.
"That would be a bit silly, isn't it, when one averages over 50 and the other averages close to 50? You are not going to put them on trial in every game. But 2027 is a long way away, both of them play one format they haven't had a lot of cricket. Once they start playing, then you assess as you go forward."
"They are not on trial; they've achieved all they had to achieve, not just winning trophies but runs, so it's not that if both of them don't get runs in this series, that will be the reason they won't be there, or if they get three hundreds, [that will be] the reason they play 2027."
"It's still a long way away; we'll see how the team shapes up, but we have some ideas, and as we go along, we'll probably have a better idea of where the team is progressing."