As India prepares for their forthcoming ODI series against Australia, head coach Gautam Gambhir has stated that his attention is on the present rather than speculating about the long-term future of senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Gambhir opened up following India’s 2-0 Test series victory over the West Indies.
As the 2027 ODI world cup is still over 2 years away, it has been widely speculated how Rohit (at 40) and Kohli (at 38) will feature in long term white ball plans of India. The two players are yet to play international cricket since India won the champions trophy earlier this year, and now are back in the Australia series.
Similar sentiments had been aired by chief selector Ajit Agarkar who said that the deliberations about the 2027 world cup had gone too far. Trying to concentrate all people on the tasks they have to do currently, Gambhir repeated this message at the news conference. The former opener proceeded to talk of the value of experience by the duo in terms of the Australian tour.
“2027 World Cup is 2.5 years away. It’s important to stay in the present. Kohli and Rohit are both quality players. Hopefully, they have a successful tour in Australia,” Gambhir said.
Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been training intensely to make a strong comeback. Kohli, who recently won his first IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, trained in London before joining the group. Meanwhile, Rohit trained at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and under Abhishek Nayar at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Kohli and Rohit met in New Delhi in the morning and will join the team before they depart for Australia.
