"Virat Kohli could play 2027 World Cup; Rohit Sharma will faint" - K Srikkanth on Gambhir's claims that both legends should continue playing
Former India cricketer K Srikkanth has claimed that it will be downright impossible for Rohit Sharma to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa due to fitness and age. The Indian skipper has not won the elusive 50-over ICC title after having come so close in the 2023 edition.
Rohit Sharma recently stated during an event in Dallas that he would continue playing for India, at least for a little while before retiring. Considering that he has already stepped away from T20Is after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, he has not ruled out partaking in the 2027 ODI World Cup to add a crown jewel to his trophy cabinet.
In his first-ever press conference as India head coach, Gautam Gambhir also welcomed the prospect of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continuing until the 2027 ODI World Cup. The newly appointed head coach's contract also runs up to the end of 2027, meaning that the three figures could potentially unite in securing India's first ODI title since 2011.
Srikkanth, however, branded Gambhir as a hypocrite, and stated that the claims of Rohit Sharma making it until the 2027 ODI World Cup is far-fetched.
“Gautam Gambhir is most hip-hopper. He is a real U-turn man. Before the T20 World Cup 2024, he was saying if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma do not perform, they will not sit in my team. Then he took a U-turn now, saying there is no player like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. After becoming head coach, he said that both have a lot of cricket left and hopefully they will fit for the 2027 World Cup,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel (via CricketAddictor).
He emphasized Rohit Sharma's lack of fitness, and opined that he could not stretch his career as long as MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar did in the past.
"He is a good player, but his age is 37 presently, and the next ODI World Cup is three more years ahead. He will be 40 years old then. I mean, unless you are a super-fit person like MS Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar, you can’t play World Cup at 40s. Yeah, Virat Kohli could play in the 2027 World Cup, in my opinion, for sure. But for Rohit, Mr. Gambhir, you went overboard; he will faint in South Africa," he added (via Hindustan Times).
As of now, both players are well in the scheme of things for the 2025 Champions Trophy. They were named in the ODI squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.
"Hopefully they can keep their fitness till the 2027 World Cup as well" - Gautam Gambhir on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
As mentioned earlier, the futures of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were among the key points in Gambhir's first interaction with the media. He expressed his desire for both to stay with the team for as long as possible.
"I think both those guys have got a lot of cricket left in them and more importantly with the Champions Trophy and a big tour of Australia, obviously they would be motivated enough and then hopefully they can keep their fitness till the 2027 World Cup as well. This is a very personal decision," Gambhir said (via Hindustan Times).
The famous duo will be back in action for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, beginning on August 2.