File photo of Sunil Gavaskar
Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma looked set to feature for India in the whites on the tour of England, probably for the last time in their careers, but a call to quit the format even before the series began stunned everyone. With the duo already retired from T20 internationals, the only format in which they will be seen wearing the India shirt is ODIs. While Virat Kohli has publicly expressed his desire to play in the 2027 World Cup, the importance Rohit gives to the 50-over World Cup is matched by none. Yet, Indian cricket great Sunil Gavaskar doesn’t think playing the 2027 World Cup is practically possible for Rohit and Virat.
In a chat on Sports Today, Gavaskar said that the duo’s 2027 World Cup plans would depend a lot on the selectors’ perception of their game.
“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 whether they will 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 on Monday, May 12.
When asked to share his opinion, Gavaskar was blunt in sharing his verdict, suggesting he doesn’t think either of Virat or Rohit would be in the Indian ODI team for the 2027 World Cup.
“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 stressed.
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