 "Former India cricketer questions how Kohli, Rohit will stay fit for ODIs: 'They don't play against small teams'")
Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan has raised question marks over how Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will stay fit for the 2027 ODI World Cup, in case they are targeting the ICC tournament, without playing in other formats. Kohli and Rohit recently retired from Test cricket and had bid adieu to the T20 format after winning the 2024 World Cup.
They recently won the 2025 Champions Trophy with the Indian cricket team and are yet to announce any decision on their ODI future. But the understanding is that both the star cricketers, Kohli and Rohit, are targeting the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will take place in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe during the October-November window.
The main issue here is that the Indian cricket team is scheduled to play very few ODIs till the end of 2026. With T20Is becoming the most popular format, India are scheduled to play only 24 ODIs spread over eight series till the end of 2026.
Their next ODI series is in August against Bangladesh in Bangladesh, a three-match series, followed by another three-match series against Australia Down Under.
Kohli, Rohit face fitness challenge in international cricket
Now lack of matches could prove to be a big stumbling block for Kohli and Rohit as they would find it tough to maintain the fitness required for international matches in the absence of consistent international cricket.
Wassan feels IPL alone won’t be enough for them and the problem could compound if they decide not to play in the series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
“I think it’s going to be extremely tough for Virat and Rohit to sustain their fitness levels just by playing IPL, which happens for only two months a year. And they also usually don’t play against small teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, as it’s less motivating for them. They want a bigger challenge in front of them to get going,” Wassan said on the Bails and Banter Show on the OTTPlay app.
This is going to be one of the biggest challenges for the Indian team’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, as well. In case Kohli and Rohit don’t retire, he would face a tough task of adding them to the team.
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More ShortsGambhir refuses to speculate Kohli, Rohit’s ODI futures
Recently, Gambhir said that it’s too early to speculate on what his plans will be for Kohli and Rohit in ODIs.
“We still have a T20 World Cup before that, and that is again a huge tournament, which is going to happen in India in February-March. So, the entire focus at the moment, after England, will be on the T20 World Cup. And November-December 2027 is still two-and-a-half years away,” Gambhir said.
However, he added that as long as performances keep coming, the age doesn’t matter to him.
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