Former India pacer Ashish Nehra has shared his views on the possibility of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing till the ODI World Cup 2027. This comes after new India head coach Gautam Gambhir claimed that if the two veterans manage to stay fit, he'll surely have Rohit and Kohli in the planks for the marquee event in 2027. Kohli and Rohit announced their T20I retirements after the T20 World Cup final last month, and will solely focus on ODIs and Tests with two major ICC events scheduled to take place next year. Speaking on Kohli and Rohit's chances of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup, Nehra said that the duo will have to keep raising the bar.
"It involves both physical and mental aspects. It depends on your passion and motivation and in these aspects, there is no dearth at all when it comes to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It's because of their drive that they have reached where they are today. From here, young guns like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan will keep making runs and push you. For that, you need to keep raising your bar. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have done that and shown," Nehra told Sports Today.
While Gambhir has kept the door open for Rohit and Kohli's participation, Nehra insisted that 2027 is far away but if they're able to make it till then it will be great for the team.
"2027 is far away at this point. But it's great thinking. If you ask me 'I want to be 18 all my life. I didn't want to retire. If you give Gambhir a choice and tell him his body is fit, he will say 'No Sai Sudharsan, I am ready'. 4 years is far away, but it's a great thought. But, if that can be done, nothing like it," he added.
Gambhir's stint as India's new head coach will begin from July 27, when Suryakumar Yadav and co will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series.
The series consists of three T20Is, followed by as many ODIs, starting from August 2. Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid to become India's new coach, whose tenure came to an end after India's victory at the T20 World Cup 2024.
Gambhir, who won the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup, is likely to bring a different approach to Team India.