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Cricket Players‘It is very difficult to say right now’: Rohit, Kohli's World Cup 2027 participation hangs in balance for ex-India pacer
Ashish Nehra says it is too early to call whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will feature in World Cup 2027, stressing form will decide their fate.
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The uncertainty surrounding Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s ODI futures is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. With India playing the format only intermittently before the 2027 ODI World Cup, every squad announcement and every lengthy gap between assignments has added another layer to the discussion over whether the two senior batters will make it to the tournament in Africa.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia recently played down speculation surrounding Rohit’s place in India’s ODI plans, but questions over the former captain have persisted, particularly with age becoming an unavoidable part of the conversation. Rohit will be 40 by the time the World Cup begins next year, while Kohli will turn 39 during the tournament.
Former India pacer Ashish Nehra, however, believes trying to predict the pair’s presence at the World Cup more than a year in advance is premature. Nehra, part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad and currently head coach of Gujarat Titans, pointed to how quickly circumstances can change in international cricket.
‘13 months is a long time’: Nehra
Speaking during the Cricket Association of Bengal’s annual awards ceremony in Kolkata, Nehra said even established players cannot take their places for granted given the speed at which Indian cricket is evolving. “We all know what Rohit and Virat have achieved over the last decade. But for me, 13 months is a long time. It is very difficult to say right now whether Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli will be there. Forget those two. Age is just a number,” Nehra said, as quoted by RevSportz.
Nehra used the example of Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill to underline his point. Gill remains central to India’s plans in Tests and ODIs, but his absence from the current T20I squad, Nehra argued, shows how quickly selections can change depending on format, form and team requirements. “We talk about Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah, but even Shubman is not in the T20 squad. The way the sport is going, it is fast-paced and more formats are coming. So, it is difficult to say. It is simply too early,” he said.
The larger question around Rohit and Kohli is therefore likely to come down to performance rather than age alone. Both remain among the most prolific ODI batters in the world, with Kohli and Rohit the two highest active run-scorers in the format, and Nehra saw no reason why either should be ruled out if they continue producing runs. “If they are doing well and performing, why not? But again, if you were the coach, or if I were the coach, it would not be my decision alone. That doesn’t work with the BCCI. There are selectors and other decision-makers involved, so there are many people involved in the decision-making process,” Nehra said.
Nehra also stressed that even if he were involved with the Indian team, projecting a World Cup squad this far out would be unrealistic. “First of all, I am not coaching India. Secondly, it is too far away. When it comes to international cricket, the World Cup is still around 13 months away. We have seen, not just in Indian cricket but in every sport, how much things can change even in two or three weeks.”
For now, both Rohit and Kohli remain firmly in India’s ODI picture. Their performances over the limited opportunities India have in the format over the next year, rather than speculation between series, are likely to determine whether they get another shot at the World Cup together in 2027.
