Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Not Needed? Ex-India Star's Bold Remark Regarding ODI World Cup Turns Heads

Rohit Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli (R) playing for Indian team.© NDTV Library

There has been a lot of chatter over Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's future with the Indian cricket team. With roughly a year left until the ODI World Cup 2027, there are clouds of uncertainty over the two players' participation in the tournament. By the time the mega event begins, Rohit will be 40 years old, while Kohli will be 39. Former India all-rounder Sandeep Patil praised the bench strength of the Indian cricket team and came up with a bold statement. He said that the presence or absence of the veteran duo would not impact the team or its performance.

Sandeep added that the participation of Rohit and Kohli in the ODI World Cup 2027 will depend on multiple factors, which include their willingness to play, their fitness, and the selectors' thinking.

"It is up to these two players. Will they want to continue playing? Will they be able to maintain their fitness? What is the selectors' strategy? Are the selectors looking ahead? Along with the current players, we always have to consider whether we have someone strong enough to replace them if the time comes for them to be left out of the team. And considering the Indian team's bench strength, which I just spoke about, I don't think there will be any problems, whether Virat or Rohit are in the team or not," the former India all-rounder told SportsNext.

"These two players have been around for many years and will be regarded as legends. Rohit Sharma has been a remarkable player in white-ball cricket. As far as Virat is concerned, the more I say about him, the less it will be," he added.

Both Rohit and Kohli have been named in India's squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies.

India's ODI squad vs West Indies: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.

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