Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli play 2027 World Cup? While on the surface it may seem that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are desperate to play—and win—the 2027 World Cup, chief selector Ajit Agarkar has dropped a massive statement on the senior duo’s ambitions for the marquee event in two years’ time.
On Saturday in Ahmedabad, Agarkar attended the press conference as the BCCI announced India’s squads for the ODI and T20I series in Australia to be played later this month.
The biggest revelation was that Rohit has been replaced as the ODI skipper by Shubman Gill, who is the Test captain and T20I vice-captain. Agarkar asserted that the selectors—along with head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia—agree to not have three different captains in the three formats.
With Gill being the vice-captain of the T20I side, his succession to India’s all-format captain is expected to come to fruition next year after the home T20 World Cup, where the 35-year-old Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side.
Coming to Rohit and Kohli, the duo will return to international cricket—both are retired from Tests and T20Is—for the first time since winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in March.
Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli play 2027 World Cup?
After announcing the squad for the ODI series against Australia, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said, “Both Rohit and Virat are non-committal about the 2027 World Cup.”
Rohit and Kohli may continue to have ambitions of winning the ODI World Cup, but Agarkar’s comments indicate that they are uncertain for the 2027 World Cup, which will be hosted in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Rohit is currently 38 years old, and Kohli is 36.
While Kohli won the 2011 World Cup, he was a youngster; Rohit was not picked in the squad. The duo then suffered heartbreaks in three consecutive ODI World Cup knockout matches—losing the semi-finals in 2015 and 2019 and the final at home in 2023 after an unbeaten campaign until the title clash.
Rohit, indeed, has time and again reiterated about his dream of lifting the ODI World Cup trophy, which he missed by a whisker a couple of years ago.
Another interesting topic during Agarkar’s press conference was whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will make themselves available for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier domestic 50-over tournament.
Will Rohit and Kohli play in Vijay Hazare Trophy?
While Agarkar didn’t confirm their availability or non-availability, the chief selector made it clear that the BCCI has asked all the players to make themselves available for domestic cricket when they are fit and not playing international cricket.
“We have made it clear that whenever the guys are available, they should be playing domestic cricket. If you are not playing international cricket, you are expected to play domestic cricket,” Agarkar said.
Some interesting few months await with regard to Indian cricket and its two biggest superstars, Rohit and Kohli.
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