Last year, after winning the T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bid farewell to cricket’s shortest format. Later, the two legendary cricketers also retired from Test cricket.
They had stepped away from the other two formats with the aim of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, questions are now arising about whether they will even continue playing ODIs until that tournament. According to Indian media reports, both star cricketers are likely to retire from ODIs this year.
A report by Indian news outlet Dainik Jagran stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cannot guarantee that Kohli and Rohit will be included in the 2027 ODI World Cup squad. A source within the Indian team told Jagran: “In the plans we have for the 2027 ODI World Cup, Kohli and Rohit are not part of it.”
The report also mentioned that Rohit and Kohli had wanted to join the England tour, but they were informed that they would not be selected. It was after receiving this message that they decided to retire from red-ball cricket.
The BCCI will now ask Kohli and Rohit to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which starts in December. Only if they perform well in this domestic one-day competition might they earn a place in the ODI World Cup squad.
Rohit is currently the ODI captain. If he retires, who will take over the leadership? In Tests, the responsibility has already been given to Shubman Gill, and former players see him as the likely choice for the ODI captaincy as well. Both Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammad Kaif have expressed their confidence in Gill.
