BCCI To Hold Meeting On Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's Future With Eye On 2027 World Cup: "One Can't Afford..."

The BCCI is planning to hold a crucial meeting between selectors and team management to discuss the way forward for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, with an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup, said a report. It added that top BCCI officials, coach Gautam Gambhir, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar are likely to meet in Ahmedabad after the third India vs South Africa ODI in Visakhapatnam next week. The star duo, Rohit and Kohli, who are active only in ODIs, haven't had any discussion so far with regard to their 2027 World Cup chances.

"It is very important that players of Rohit and Kohli's stature are given clarity about what is expected of them and how the current management views their roles. They can't just be playing with uncertainty," the TOI report quoted a BCCI source as saying. It added that the BCCI has asked Rohit to "just focus on his fitness and performance," while "avoiding" reacting to speculation.

Rohit and Kohli both played in the India vs Australia ODI series in October. Rohit was the top scorer and Player of the Series with 202 runs. Kohli scored 74 in the third ODI, after falling for 0 in the first two matches.

"They did score runs in the third ODI in Australia. But the series was already lost and the match was set up by the bowlers in the first innings. They looked rusty in the first two matches. One can't afford that in every series," a source said.

Rohit is expected to continue with his 'aggressive' brand of cricket that he displayed during the Champions Trophy win. "It is expected that he continues to lead by example as a fearless batter at the top of the order. The conditions were tough in Australia but it did look like he was avoiding taking risks. Both are expected to lead the batting to make it easier for the rest of the younger batters around them," said sources.

The duo will also be advised to take part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy next month to gain game time outside international cricket. After the three-ODI series against South Africa, India will face New Zealand in January for another ODI series. After that, India's next ODI assignment is in England in July.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Gautam Gambhir BCCI Cricket