Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Irfan Pathan has weighed in on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's chances of playing in ODI World Cup 2027. Pathan wants the senior duo to play domestic cricket in-between ODI series to maintain their “game fitness”.
"Rohit and Virat want to play the 2027 World Cup, but game fitness will be a big challenge for them. Rohit has worked well on his fitness. He is focused on that. But there is regular fitness, and game time fitness… If you are not playing regular cricket, both of them have to ensure some game time. They have to play domestic cricket," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
"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."
Do Rohit and Kohli have time to play Vijay Hazare Trophy?
While Rohit and Kohli returned to Ranji Trophy earlier this year after a long absence, they have not played white-ball domestic cricket in a long time. After the Australia tour, India are scheduled to play South Africa in multi-format series, including three ODIs from November 30 to December 6.
After facing the Proteas, they can play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy which starts on December 24. However, they will return to international action in the ODI series against New Zealand at home, starting January 11, 2026.
Pathan’s message for Gill
Pathan had a message for new ODI captain Shubman Gill as well. He feels while the leadership role is challenging, it is an exciting phase as well.
"There is a leadership change; Gill will lead in both formats now. This is a big opportunity but a huge responsibility too. He has to take forward Virat's legacy in Test cricket and Rohit's legacy in white-ball cricket. This is a challenging but exciting phase for him as he is already batting well, he will need to keep that form going," the former India all-rounder added.
After a litmus test of Test captaincy in England, Gill’s big challenge will be on Australian openers against reigning World Champions. He is yet to prove himself in the format in Australia.