One of the most influential captains of the Indian side in the limited overs format, Rohit Sharma is no longer a part of the test and the T20 set up for India. However, Rohit Sharma remains to be the captain of the team in the ODI format as Rohit Sharma wants to be a part of the 2027 World Cup campaign.
However, there have been several trolls on social media about the latest looks of Rohit Sharma as he has evidently put on some weight. Many people are commenting that Rohit Sharma is not fit enough to kept the side and it up a spot while other youngsters are in the pipeline.However, the experience and impeccable batting prowess of Rohit Sharma will come to play in crucial situations in the upcoming World Cup, so the team management is continuing to persist with him.
Having endured the heartbreak of the 2023 ODI World Cup up close and personal, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are yet to win the 50-overs World Cup together, are eager to chase the ultimate glory in the 2027 World Cup, which can cap off a perfect, story-book ending for the two superstar batters.
Until a couple of days ago, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli looked certain to maintain their place in the ODI setup. However, according to a report in Dainik Jagran, the murmurs about their future have already gained steam. It stated that the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia in October might be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s swansongs in Indian cricket.
BCCI demand’s Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play Vijay Hazare Trophy to prove their relevance in white ball format
Virat Kohli last played a Vijay Hazare Trophy match for Delhi in February 2010 against Services. In that match against Gurgaon, he scored 16 runs while batting at number 5. Rohit Sharma’s last VHT game was much more recent than Virat Kohli’s – in 2018, when he scored 24 in the semi-final against Hyderabad for Mumbai.
The BCCI’s VHT demand could stem from its reprioritisation of domestic cricket. Earlier this year, after India’s 1-3 defeat against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the BCCI made it mandatory for all centrally-contracted players to be available for their states for domestic cricket in order to be available for national selection.
The Jagran report stated that the BCCI is focused on grooming young talent for the upcoming marquee 50-over tournament, with preparations already in full swing. If Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli indeed turn up, it’ll be nothing new. In January 2025, both players represented their state teams in the Ranji Trophy, following a BCCI mandate. The 10-point directive urged all players to return to domestic red-ball cricket to regain form.
Now, the BCCI is reportedly considering asking Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. But is this expectation realistic? What value would their participation in the 50-over competition bring, and how much game time could they gain?. Ahead of this murmurs, Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu who was a part of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings has backed Rohit Sharma to be the part of 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
Former Indian player Ambati Rayudu backs Rohit Sharma to captain Team India 2027 ODI World Cup
Former Indian middle-order batter Ambati Rayudu has reserved big praise for India’s ODI captain, Rohit Sharma. According to Rayudu, who, after playing 55 ODIs and six T20Is for India from 2013 to 2019, quit international cricket and donned the hat of an expert, no one can replace Rohit Sharma in ODIs. Rayudu feels Rohit Sharma’s batting, his captaincy and the confidence he gives to all the players are extremely important, and the 38-year-old right-handed batter from Mumbai must captain the Men in Blue in the ODI World Cup 2027.
The debate around India’s captain for the next ODI World Cup in 2027 has already started, even though the tournament is still a couple of years away. Former India batter Ambati Rayudu has made his stance very clear as he believes Rohit Sharma should continue as skipper. According to Rayudu, the kind of confidence and balance Rohit gives to the team cannot be replaced by anyone else.
Rayudu explained that Rohit’s batting, his tactical thinking and the calmness he brings as a leader are unmatched. He added that India must look at one thing only that who can win them the World Cup. For Rayudu, the answer is straightforward- Rohit Sharma. He stressed that no other player currently in the ODI setup can provide the same trust and confidence to teammates the way Rohit does. Rayudu said during a Youtube podcast with Shubhankar Mishra :
“You need Rohit Sharma to lead. Looking ahead, the goal is to win the World Cup. At the end of the day, we are all Indians. At that time, the only question is, who can win it for us? That is how you have to approach ICC tournaments. What happens two years later, who becomes what, nobody knows. Nothing is certain. The only thing that matters is, at that time, especially in ICC tournaments, who can win for India? Who can win for the country?”
“If Rohit Sharma, as captain, can win it for us, then Rohit should remain captain. If Rohit makes up his mind, maintains his fitness, and wants to play, then tell me one single person today who can replace him in ODI cricket. What he brings to the table is enormous. Rohit has to play,” he added.
The 2027 edition of the men’s 50-over mega event will be played across multiple venues in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in October-November. A total of 14 teams will feature in the ODI World Cup in a couple of years’ time.
In the 2023 edition of the men’s ODI World Cup, India finished as runners-up under Rohit Sharma’s leadership. India won all nine league matches and the semifinal against New Zealand in Mumbai on November 15, 2023, to book a place in the summit clash, but in the title decider, they went down by six wickets against the Pat Cummins-led Australian team.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit scored a total of 597 runs to finish as the second-highest run getter. His batting average in the 2023 World Cup was 54.27, and he scored runs with a strike rate of 125.94.
In the 2019 ODI World Cup, Rohit, with the help of five centuries and one fifty, scored 648 runs. But India failed to qualify for the final under Virat Kohli’s leadership. In the 2015 World Cup as well, Rohit impressed with his batting, but India’s campaign came to an end in the semifinal itself.
Rohit Sharma has overall played 273 ODIs, scoring 11168 runs at an impressive average of 48.76and a strike rate of 92.80, which includes 58 half centuries and 32 centuries. Earlier this year Rohit Sharma has guided the Men in Blue to glory in 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
India’s 2025-26 ODI schedule includes nine ODIs (three away games against Australia and six home games against South Africa and New Zealand). However, the three matches against Australia and as many games against South Africa will wrap up even before the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 starts.
India and Australia will square off in October, while the Proteas will take on the hosts in a three-match series from November 30 to December 6. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will have six ODIs to prove their form and whether they have it in them to keep going in the 50-over format.
If the duo gets cracking along and shows no signs of slowing down in these six ODIs, then the Vijay Hazare Trophy argument becomes bogus. However, things get a little interesting if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma fail to get going and are asked to play the white-ball tournament after all.
After the series against South Africa, India’s next ODI assignment is against New Zealand, beginning January 11 next year. The Vijay Hazare Trophy is scheduled before it as the tournament will be played from 24 December to January 18. Mumbai are in Group C in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, while Delhi are in Group E. Seven group stage games are scheduled before the series against New Zealand begins on January 11, and this stage will conclude on January 8, 2026.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli can potentially play seven group stage matches of the VHT. However, this is not realistic as the squad for the New Zealand series is likely to be announced late December or early January. If they are named in the ODI squad, then all seven games go out of the equation. And if by any chance, they aren’t, then one doesn’t know whether Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma would see it fit to play the entire tournament to get back in the reckoning despite being world-beaters in the ODI format.
After the ODIs against New Zealand, India are slated to take on England in the three-match ODI series in July 2026. After the IPL, of course. Plenty can change in the next year or so, but as of now, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy seems bleak, considering their stature and the nature of India’s schedule.
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