Will Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play the 2027 World Cup? R Ashwin says why not

Will Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play the 2027 ODI World Cup? With the tournament scheduled for October-November next year in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, Kohli will be touching 39, and Rohit will be past 40. Former India offspinner R Ashwin feels “it is like a marriage” when it comes to Kohli and Rohit potentially getting that far; while the players will have to be fit and in form, they would also need “good vibes” from the team management.

“In my experience of how these things pan out, it’s pretty straightforward: if the management wants both of them at the 50-over World Cup in South Africa, and if there is enough energy around it, it’s very much possible to keep them on the park and utilise their experience,” Ashwin said on ESPNcricinfo’s video show. “But if there is a thinking that it might steer the other way, the players will be under duress.

“And forgive me, I’m no specialist, I’m no medico scientist, I can’t say this with utmost authority, [but if] there is a proper rehab programme, and there is something that’s constructed around what they want to do, and if there is good vibes from the other half, the players will manage to make it.

“But if there is any sediment of doubt that’s trusted upon them, the players are going to find it harder because at this age, injuries are par for the course. The body is not the same as it was when it was 35 and below; it’s not the same when you cross 32 itself. So [at] every stage you need to adapt. And with that in place, it is like a marriage, both of them bring something to the table.

“The management and the selectors will have to want them being there, [and will] want the best interest in their minds for these players to be able to get there. And from the players’ side, when they see that from the management, they would put double the hard work than they would otherwise.

“So I think it’s a bit of a give and take. I think good energy from both sides is very critical for both of them to make it happen to get to the 2027 50-over World Cup. And having said that, I see no reason why they mustn’t be there. They make your team definitely stronger with their presence and their experience of those conditions.”

After retiring from T20Is in 2024, both Kohli and Rohit also quit Tests the following year. But since 2025, they are one and two, respectively, on India’s highest run-scorers list in ODIs. Kohli, though, has been in superior form. During this period, his 891 runs have come at an average of 68.53, including four centuries and five fifties. Rohit, meanwhile, has 711 runs at 44.43, with two hundreds and four fifties.

India play another 20 ODIs until early January 2027, starting with the three-match series against Afghanistan from later this week. While Kohli has been ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury, Rohit has joined India’s squad after being troubled by a hamstring injury which forced him to miss five matches for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026. Despite Kohli’s absence from the Afghanistan series, Ashwin believes his fitness “has been great” even as Rohit “needs to keep working on that to keep himself on the park”.

“He doesn’t have a 50-over World Cup in his kitbag yet,” Ashwin said of Rohit. “I think he wants to go there to the 2027 World Cup and showcase that, and win yet another silverware for himself and for the nation. I think he has also done enough to warrant a place, going all the way till that end.

“Till you have experienced cricketers like Virat and Rohit in your side, [and] in your ranks, going for an away World Cup in a country like South Africa, I think you should extract as much experience as you can from those.”

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