NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma's removal from India's ODI captaincy raised doubts on his and Virat Kohli's participation in the 2027 ODI World Cup. Since ODIs have been on the wane, keeping match-ready fitness is something the duo will find challenging.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan reckons that both Indian stalwarts need to play domestic cricket regularly to keep their hopes alive of representing India in the 2027 ODI World Cup.
"Rohit (Sharma) and Virat (Kohli) 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," said Pathan 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," he added.
Pathan also lauded Shubman Gill's elevation as ODI captain, saying the 25-year-old needs to carry forward the legacy of Rohit and Kohli.
"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," Pathan concluded.
Kohli and Rohit will return to action after a seven-month hiatus, as both stalwarts have been named in India's squad for the three-match ODI series in Australia starting October 19.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar clarified that to continue representing India in ODIs, Rohit and Kohli must participate in domestic cricket, specifically the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
"Whenever the guys are playing or not, they should be playing domestic cricket. Whether it's possible alongside international cricket or not, time will tell," he said.
