'Virat and Rohit will be team's biggest assets for 2027 ODI World Cup': MSK Prasad throws weight behind RO-KO

Former India's chief selector MSK Prasad has strongly backed the dazzling batting duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the 2027 ODI World Cup, following their top notch show in Sydney to prove their batting might. He said that Rohit and Virat will India's biggest assets in the 2027 ODI World Cup.

RO-KO delivered a batting masterclass at the Sydney Cricket Ground to catapult India to a nine-wicket victory over Australia, effectively helping the team avoid a series whitewash.

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As you head towards the World Cup, you need RO-KO's services: MSK Prasad

Rohit led the charge with an unbeaten 121, building on his impressive outing in Adelaide with an even more chanceless knock to secure his 33rd ODI hundred. The former India skipper now sits third in the tally for most centuries in the format, trailing only Virat Kohli (51) and the legendary Sachin Tendulkar (49). On other hand, Virat who had been dismissed for successive ducks in the first two ODIs, found his form again with a valuable unbeaten 74. This knock was particularly significant as it saw him leap past Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-getter in Men’s ODI history. Currently boasting 14,255 runs from 305 matches, Kohli is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar in the all-time tally.

"I am extremely happy —I was really looking forward to their performances in the last two matches. Unfortunately, that did not happen, but I am thrilled that it finally happened, and it is very important. As you head towards the World Cup, you need their services. People like Virat and Rohit Sharma will be big assets for the side," Prasad told IANS.

"I don't really see people looking at them based on their current form. What they have done in the past, Rohit has become fit, and Virat is fit as always. So testing those people is, like, hah, very difficult to answer! They have got 83 or 84 hundreds between them, and if you want to test them, it is something surprising to me," he further added.

Rohit and Virat drew curtains on their T20I career following India T20 World Cup 2024 winning campaign. Ravindra Jadeja also joined them in hanging up his boots from the slam bang cricket.

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Prasad praised the trio for their timing, specifically highlighting their decision to gracefully pass the baton to the next generation of players at the opportune moment.

"Rohit, Virat, and Jadeja: one good thing they've done is hand the baton to the next generation once they won the T20 World Cup. That's a wonderful thing that has happened, and eventually these kids started flourishing and establishing themselves. We have a very good side," Prasad stated.

'We have enough firepower in our T20 side and have a solid team'

Prasad also lauded the remarkable depth of talent available to India in the shortest format of the game. He pointed out that despite being a talented player, someone like Shreyas Iyer has struggled to consistently secure a place in the squad. This, Prasad explained, simply underscores the sheer strength of the current T20 talent pool.

"In fact we have so many players waiting in the wing. Shreyas has not found a place in the T20 squad, which speaks volumes about the talent pool we have. It is definitely debatable whether he is there or not, but I think he should be there. That's the secondary thing. We have enough firepower in our T20 side and have a solid team," he concluded.