In the past week, two of India’s best batsmen, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, surprised everyone by retiring from Test cricket. This came right before India’s five-match Test tour of England next month, which they seemed excited about. Their decision might be linked to a dip in their performance and the team not making it to the ICC World Test Championship final. Plus, there are reports that their coach, Gautam Gambhir, wants to bring in some new players for the next phase.
Now, Rohit and Kohli will only play ODIs for India, focusing on scoring runs to stay in the mix for the World Cup in 2027. Even though their ODI records are great, it’s not going to be easy.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes it all depends on the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar. They have to decide if Rohit and Kohli will fit into their plans for the World Cup. Gavaskar said, Rohit and Kohli have been great in this format. The selection committee will be thinking about whether they can still contribute come 2027.
Gavaskar personally feels that neither will make it to the next ODI World Cup. But he added that if they perform well enough, it would be hard for anyone to leave them out. Honestly, I don’t think they will play. But if they start scoring a lot again, it will be tough to drop them, he said.
