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Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes Rohit Sharma should remain part of India's plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup, saying the veteran opener's ability to deliver in pressure situations makes him too valuable to leave out despite concerns over his age.
AB de Villiers also urged the Indian team management to carefully manage Rohit Sharma's workload over the next two years. With the opener being over 40 by the time the next World Cup begins, the Proteas legend feels preserving him for major tournaments should be a priority.
AB de Villiers backs Rohit Sharma for 2027 World Cup, urges Team India to manage workload
Speaking about Rohit's future, AB de Villiers said the former India captain has never been the sort of player who dominates every bilateral series, but stressed that he consistently produces his best cricket when the stakes are at their highest.
“He’s never been the most consistent player for a long period of time, a little bit up and down consistency-wise. But when the big matches present themselves, the big moments, Rohit Sharma needs to be in your side,” AB de Villiers said on his 360° show.
The former South African batter added that ICC tournaments demand a completely different mindset compared to regular bilateral series, and that players with Rohit Sharma's experience become even more valuable under that kind of pressure.
“You need that kind of experience in big tournaments. When you play big tournaments, it’s not your usual five-match ODI series in some country where there’s not a huge hype, or you’re not playing a different opposition every game. There’s a whole different kind of pressure when it comes to ODI World Cups and big tournaments, and that’s why I feel Rohit will play a big, big part,” AB de Villiers added.
AB de Villiers also suggested that India should focus on managing Rohit's workload carefully over the next two years so that he arrives at the 2027 World Cup physically fresh and ready for another global campaign.
Rohit Sharma shuts down retirement reports with Lord's century
Speculation surrounding Rohit Sharma's ODI future gathered pace during India's tour of England, but the former Indian captain responded in the best possible fashion with a magnificent 138 off 110 balls in the third ODI at Lord's.
Although India failed to chase down 388 and lost the series 2-1, Rohit's innings became one of the most remarkable overseas ODI knocks by an Indian batter, rewriting several records in the process.
The century made Rohit Sharma the first Indian batter ever to score an ODI hundred at Lord's, while he also became the oldest Indian to score an ODI century, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's previous record.
His innings also established him as the highest run-scorer among visiting batters in ODI history in England, taking his tally to 1,603 runs in the country. During the knock, he moved ahead of players such as Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Ricky Ponting and Viv Richards.
Perhaps most significantly, the innings effectively silenced retirement rumours that had followed him in recent months and reminded everyone why he remains one of the world's premier ODI batters.
Rohit Sharma's record at ICC Men's Cricket World Cup
AB de Villiers' support for Rohit is backed by numbers that few players in cricket history can match. Across three ODI World Cups, Rohit Sharma has built one of the greatest tournament records the game has ever seen.
The Indian captain is the highest century-maker in ODI World Cup history, having scored seven hundreds in just 28 matches.
His unforgettable 2019 World Cup campaign remains unmatched. Rohit scored 648 runs, including a record five centuries, becoming the only batter in tournament history to hit five hundreds in a single edition.
He followed that with another outstanding campaign in 2023, scoring 597 runs while completely changing his batting approach. Rather than playing long anchor innings, Rohit attacked relentlessly in the powerplay to provide India with explosive starts, allowing the middle order to build on strong foundations.
Overall, Rohit Sharma has accumulated 1,575 World Cup runs, won seven Player of the Match awards, second only to Sachin Tendulkar, and finished among India's top two run-scorers in three consecutive World Cups.
These numbers explain why AB de Villiers believes Rohit should remain in India's plans for the 2027 tournament.
