![Kohli in, Rohit out for the 2027 World Cup: Srikkanth](http://media.assettype.com/jaanojunction%2F2024-07%2Fc4eacca4-8567-446e-a606-9284516bc552%2Fjpeg-optimizer_HERO%20%20THUMBNAIL%20-%20For%20Harsh%20%20Vicky%20-%202024-07-26T123630.361.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Rohit and Kohli fans are excited as Team India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has announced that the superstar batting duo will play in the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. Rohit and Virat recently retired from T20 international cricket after winning the T20I World Cup 2024 against South Africa in Barbados.
Both of them started their careers by winning a World Cup, but as they grew, the wait for another cup prolonged. India faced devastating defeats in various knockouts of World Cups. Last year, in 2023, after winning ten matches in a row in the World Cup, Team India lost to Australia in the finals, and it was believed that the ODI careers of Rohit and Kohli would finish without winning a title.
But the Men in Blue reappeared in the T20I World Cup 2024 and clinched the title. After this win, the newly appointed head coach announced that Rohit and Kohli would play in the ODI World Cup in 2027.
In 2027, Rohit and Kohli will be 40 and 39 years old, respectively. Their fitness is a big issue, and Gautam Gambhir has also stressed out on this issue. Virat Kohli is known for his fitness, and it is pretty much certain that Virat will not face any fitness issues if he manages the workload effectively. But Rohit’s fitness is a major concern because Rohit is not as fit as Virat.
Kris Srikkanth, the former chairman of selectors, said during a discussion with his son on his YouTube channel that Virat is pretty certain for the 2027 World Cup, but Rohit would face some fitness issues. “Rohit is a good player, but the next ODI World Cup is three years ahead, which means that Rohit would be 40 by that time, and you can’t play the World Cup at 40,” said Srikkanth in the discussion. “He will faint in South Africa if he plays,” added Srikkanth. According to him, Virat can play, but Rohit cannot.
Gautam Gambhir has opened the doors to the ODI World Cup 2027 for Rohit and Virat, and he wants them to play as much as they can as they have already retired from T20Is. They have been called up for the Sri Lanka ODI series.
Though Rohit would be 40 by that time, he keeps up with his fitness, and winning an ODI World Cup is a dream for him. It would be a treat to the eyes of fans to see the star duo playing the ODI World Cup 2027 together and winning the title.