Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma face an uncertain ODI future as BCCI sets a domestic participation condition for World Cup selection.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, inarguably among the finest batsmen in the India cricket universe, have taken a set back from T20Is and Tests, yet are still playing ODIs.
With Rohit captaining the ODI side, Kohli still has a big say. They seem to be more focused on the ODI World Cup 2027, but the latest seems to suggest that the road to that tournament is more or less less than guaranteed.
According to Dainik Jagran, the BCCI is reluctant to give guaranteed selections to Kohli and Rohit for the 2027 World Cup squad. With them being out of T20s and Tests, they are expected to get very limited match time, raising some questions in the minds of the selection committee and BCCI officials.
The main condition laid down for these two veterans to still be in contention is their being part of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s domestic one-day competition lined up in December this year. Without that, things are looking quite dim for them to make it to the World Cup.
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Reports emerged that Kohli and Rohit are no longer central to the plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. While they would prefer to be included in the upcoming tour to England, the selectors reportedly have already told them that this was unlikely.
It seems that this certainty has influenced their consideration of retirement from international ODI cricket, with the upcoming ODI series against Australia in October likely being their farewell event.
The emergence of Shubman Gill, who recently captained India with success in Test matches, strengthens selectors' faith in developing young leaders. The selectors appear to be building a team around youth for the next World Cup while new talents make steady progress. Smooth transitions have already been achieved in T20Is and Tests, and the ODI format seems set to undergo such strategic renewal.
While Kohli and Rohit have for years been the mainstay of Indian cricket, unequivocally, the indications are that there will be major alterations in the way ahead. The future of their ODIs will largely rely on satisfying the new benchmarks of performance and participation. The ongoing transition underlines India's vision toward nurturing new talents and planning long-term as it builds up to the 2027 World Cup.
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