Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan reckons that batting greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will face their biggest challenge to feature in the ODI World Cup 2027. Pathan reckons that Rohit and Virat have already retired from T20Is and Tests; they need consistent game time to maintain their form and sharpness if they aim to feature in the mega event, which will take place in 2027.
Why are there speculations around Rohit and Virat's future?
The conversation around the duo's future in ODIs intensified on October 4, when the BCCI announced the squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia. Rohit and Virat returned to the side for the first time since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, where Shubman Gill was confirmed as India's new ODI captain, replacing Rohit.
Irfan Pathan's advice to Rohit and Virat
Pathan reckons that there is a difference between regular fitness and game-time fitness, and if a player is not playing regular cricket, they have to play domestic cricket to ensure some game time.
"Rohit has worked well on his fitness. He is focused on that. But there is regular fitness, and then there is game-time fitness. If you are not playing regular cricket, you have to ensure some game time. They have to play domestic cricket," Pathan said on his youtube channel.
“We don’t know whether Rohit will be ready for the 2027 World Cup. He only plays ODIs now, and if we see the international calendar, the Indian team isn’t playing too many ODIs. Bilateral tours mostly include Tests and T20Is. If he only plays 5-7 ODIs in a year, he won’t get that kind of practice, which you need for a big tournament like a World Cup. If his place in the team isn’t certain, the decision to prepare Shubman Gill was taken."
"They are big players and know what to do. They have all the experience in the world. But they are not even playing T20Is, so there will be big gaps between the few matches that they play before the big World Cup. They will need regular game time to be fit for that. Only then will their dream to play the 2027 World Cup come true," he added.
The batting duo Rohit and Virat announced their Test retirement earlier this year in a five-day gap on May 7 and 12, respectively, ahead of the five-Test match series of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. The duo bid adieu to T20Is after India's T20 World Cup 2024 win. With limited ODIs before the World Cup 2027, domestic cricket, such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy, could provide the match practice they need to stay competitive.