Axar Patel laughs as Travis Head claims 'Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli will play 2027 World Cup'

India National Cricket Team spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel and the Australia National Cricket Team explosive opening batsman Travis Head spoke to the reporters ahead of the ODI series opener.

The first match of the three-match ODI series between the India National Cricket Team and the Australia National Cricket Team will be played at Perth Stadium on Sunday, October 19.

They have been awesome for India, I guess Axar Patel can speak more highly about - Travis Head

The hype surrounding the ODI series is quite huge, not only because the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 finalists will come face-to-face but also because of the return of the legendary batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

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Kohli and Rohit have been out of competitive cricket for a very long time. This is because the duo have retired from Test and T20I cricket and are only active in ODIs at the international level.

They were last seen in action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where the Virat Kohli-starrer Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captured their maiden title. Both Kohli and Rohit have been training quite hard to prepare themselves well for the Australia series, but only time will tell how they will perform.

Ahead of the opening clash, Travis Head and Axar Patel had a small chat with the reporters, where the Aussie opener was asked about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He replied by labeling Virat Kohli as the greatest white-ball cricketer of all time and said that Rohit Sharma is not very far behind. Travis Head said:

“They have been awesome for India, I guess Axar can speak more highly about them than myself. But two quality players, two of the best white-ball players. Virat is probably the greatest white-ball player. Rohit is not that far behind."

I have huge regard for what Rohit has been able to do - Travis Head

Travis Head further praised Rohit Sharma and expressed admiration for the things that the opening batsman has been able to do for Indian cricket over the years.

The explosive Australian opener also said that both Rohit and Kohli will be playing the 2027 World Cup while sheepishly looking at Axar Patel, who burst into a smile hearing the words of Head.

“Someone who opens the batting. I have huge regard for what Rohit has been able to do. I am sure they will be missed at some stage, but I think they both are going until 2027 (looks at Axar Patel and the all-rounder smiles). They both are trying to get to the World Cup. It is great for the game that they are still playing,” he added.

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— Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) October 17, 2025

If you speak about their form, they have been preparing well - Axar Patel

Axar Patel has pipped Ravindra Jadeja in the India ODI squad for the Australia tour and is likely to be a part of the starting playing XI Down Under.

While talking about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Axar Patel said that they are world-class players and have been preparing well for the Australia ODI series.

"They are world-class players. They know what to do, and they are ready to go. They are professionals and they know what to do. They are ready to go,” said Axar.

“If you speak about their form, they have been preparing well, hence I think they are ready. Everyone has given their fitness Test, they are raring to go now,” he added.

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