‘He will faint in South Africa…’ – Ex-India selector discards Rohit’s chances of playing 2027 ODI World Cup

Former men’s team chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has bashed the idea of the current India ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma playing the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Newly-appointed India head coach Gautam Gambhir backed the star duo of Virat Kohli (35) and Rohit (37) to play the next ODI World Cup should they stay fit. However, Srikkanth said Rohit shouldn’t stretch beyond a certain point, as at 40, he would faint while playing in Africa.

Rohit and Kohli announced their T20I retirement following the World Cup-winning campaign in the Americas. Although Kohli’s fitness might help him get through the 2027 WC without much discomfort, Srikkanth feels Rohit, who will be 40 in three years, shouldn’t be playing the 50-over World Cup.

Chatting on his son Anirudh’s YouTube channel, Srikkanth said, “Virat Kohli is a champion player. Rohit Sharma should not play in the 2027 World Cup. He will faint in South Africa.”

“He [Rohit] 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. You can’t play World Cup at the 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,” the former India opener noted.

Srikkanth thinks India must look for a new captain for the next ODI World Cup, with several contenders like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and even Jasprit Bumrah being available options. 

Meanwhile, per BCCI secretary Jay Shah, Rohit will continue leading Team India in the upcoming two ICC events next year – the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the WTC Final at the Lord’s, should India qualify. However, per the current WTC Standings, Rohit’s Indian Team is placed first with a PCT of 68.52%. 

Rohit returns for Sri Lanka ODIs

For the first time since beating South Africa in the T20 World Cup Final in Barbados, Rohit will return to the ODI side for the three-match series against Sri Lanka, starting August 1 in Colombo.

While ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are rested, Pandya has been just picked in T20Is, Virat also comes back to the squad for SL ODIs. 

Before the ODIs, Team India will play three T20Is (all in Pallekele) starting July 27. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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