Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Sent Clear 'Domestic Cricket Instruction' Amid Uncertain Future

Selected for the ODI series against Australia, yet the future remains gloomy for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the 50-over format. Both have retired from the Test and T20I formats; hence, their game time is only limited to ODIs, a format that isn't played as often now. One can believe that both Rohit and Kohli want to remain a part of India's ODI set-up till the 2027 World Cup, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused to give any guarantees.

With Rohit even sacked as the team's ODI skipper, there are grave concerns over his and Kohli's continuity in the team. Amid this uncertainty, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has urged them to return to domestic cricket.

"Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli want to play the 2027 World Cup, but match fitness will be a big challenge for them," Irfan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Kohli remains one of the fittest cricketers in the game, not just in the Indian team, while Rohit has worked hard to prove his fitness ahead of the ODI series against Australia. But Irfan feels the duo would be required to prove their match fitness too, especially if they are to play in the 2027 World Cup.

"Rohit has worked well on his fitness. He is focused on that. But there is regular fitness, and match-time fitness... If you are not playing regular cricket, both of them have to ensure some game time. They have to play domestic cricket.

"They are big players and know what to do. They have all the experience in the world. But they are not even playing T20Is, so there will be big gaps between the few matches that they play before the big World Cup. They will need regular game time to be fit for that. Only then will their dream to play the 2027 World Cup come true."

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Irfan Pathan Cricket