While ageing, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should continue for India and feature in the next World Cup.
Since India’s emphatic victory in the Champions Trophy 2025, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s future in ODIs has been uncertain. Both were instrumental in India’s flawless campaign and stepped up with the willow on various occasions.
While Rohit Sharma has quashed rumours of his retirement, and Virat Kohli hasn’t discussed his future either, India must be looking for backups before the World Cup 2027, especially for the Indian captain. The next World Cup will be in South Africa, where batters must be at their peak to succeed against quality bowling lineups.
Amidst all the talks, former Chennai Super Kings player Shane Watson has weighed in on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continuing in the 50-over format, highlighting their expertise with the willow. On Hindustan Times, Watson exclaimed that the two Indian stalwarts know how to perform under pressure, and young players should bash the door if they want to join the setup.
“They know how to perform under pressure, like we saw in the Champions Trophy. A knockout, really, nearly a knockout tournament, and they played incredibly well, especially when the team needed it the most. So, look, if those guys want to keep playing, then it’s just the younger guys who are coming through, then they need to really bash down the door. And the only way to do that is scoring a crazy amount of runs and doing extraordinary things if they want to even try and push their way into that Indian team.”
While ageing, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should continue for India and feature in the next World Cup. Both players are solid against pace, which will be crucial in South Africa, where tracks are generally suitable for speedsters.
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They have a solid range against speedsters and can bash any length against quality pacers. Further, the two have vast experience playing in South Africa and have previously done well here, so that will be handy.
The only thing that can go against them is whether they can sustain the form till then. ODIs are not played enough in world cricket now and Rohit and Kohli have retired from T20Is, meaning they won’t have enough white-ball exposure.
If they can continue scoring in whatever opportunities come, the selectors might be tempted to include them in the World Cup 2027. However, they must keep performing because those waiting for their chances are too tempting to ignore.
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