Gavaskar drops brutal verdict on Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma's ODI future: 'Don't think they'll be playing 2027 World Cup'
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma will continue playing the 50-over format and have often expressed their desire to win the 2027 ODI World Cup for India.
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar made a bold prediction about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's ODIs future after their retirement from Test cricket. The two stalwarts of Indian cricket hung up their boots from the longest format in the span of a week ahead of the crucial five-Test match on England's tour. The duo has decided to pave the way for the young generation to take over the charge in the next World Test Championship cycle. However, they will continue playing the 50-over format and have often expressed their desire to win the 2027 ODI World Cup for India.
The two senior pros recently played a pivotal role in India's Champions Trophy triumph, where Kohli played crucial knocks against Pakistan and Australia, while Rohit turned up on the big final versus New Zealand.
Gavaskar talked about whether the duo will continue until the 2027 World Cup, noting that their age at the time of the tournament will make it a key decision for the selection committee.
"They have been massive performers in this format of the game. Again, the selection committee will probably be looking at the 2027 World Cup. They will be looking at 'will they be able to be in the team for the 2027 World Cup? Will they be able to make the kind of contributions they have been making?'. That will be the thought process of the selection committee. If the selection committee thinks 'yes, they can', then both of them will be there for that," Gavaskar told Sports Today.
'If they keep scoring hundreds and hundreds, even God can't drop them'
Meanwhile, sharing his own view, Gavaskar made a bold claim that he doesn't think Kohli and Rohit will be playing in the 2027 mega event.
"No, I don't think they will be playing. I am being very honest. But, who knows, in the next year or so, if they strike a rich vein of form, and if they keep scoring hundreds and hundreds, even God can't drop them," Gavaskar concluded.
Kohli ended his inspiring run in the format, which he cherishes the most, scoring 9230 runs from 123 matches with 30 hundreds at an average of 46.85. While Rohit Sharma, who was a late bloomer in the format, scored 4,301 runs in 67 tests, an average of 40.57, with 12 centuries for the national team.
