Ex-teammate issues massive warning for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of ICC ODI World Cup 2027

The Indian greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have rightly retired from the two formats of international cricket and now feature in only ODI cricket internationally for India. They are most likely to hold their spot until the ICC World Cup 2027, where India would rightly need their two most experienced batters.

Currently, the two veteran cricketers are part of their respective franchises in the IPL, and Virat Kohli has once again shown remarkable consistency not only with the bat but also on the field. However, Rohit has struggled with some injury concerns after having made a promising start to the season.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's former Indian teammate, Shikhar Dhawan, has warned them of the disrupted flow for one-format players in international cricket; however, he has also backed the two greats to make their way out of the crisis.

Shikhar Dhawan opens up on struggles for an all-format player

Former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, the former teammate of the legendary batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, has opined that the reduced frequency of matches is truly concerning for most cricketers in international cricket.

"Yes, when you play one format at the international level, your flow does get disrupted," Dhawan said.

Having himself spent the latter part of his career as a one-format cricketer, the former Indian star admitted that it can be concerning as players often tend to lose their rhythm in the game. He mentioned the same challenges of staying in flow when opportunities are spaced out, while speaking to PTI.

They [Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli] know how to convert challenge into an opportunity- Shikhar Dhawan

However, he contradicted his own words when he started mentioning the same in respect to his former teammates Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He explained that the focus often shifts to maintaining fitness due to less exposure to games; however, that's not the case for the two veteran Indian batters.

"So players focus on fitness because you are not playing too many games. You are talking about Rohit and Virat, and they are matured individuals. It is a challenge, but they know how to convert a challenge into an opportunity.

"If you look at their fitness, Virat was always fit, but Rohit has undergone tremendous transformation," he added. Truly, Rohit Sharma has regained some amazing bit of fitness, while Kohli has always been at his very best with the high fitness quotient.

The international schedule ahead of CWC 2027 will facilitate the two greats

He then went on to add how this situation for the two stars is different from his, as they have an upcoming international schedule for India that heavily consists of ODI games. The players would get immense opportunities to back themselves and revive their rhythm in the format.

"Now with the 2027 WC round the corner, they will get to play a lot of ODI matches. If you look at the time when I became a one-format player, there were back-to-back T20 World Cups (2021 and '22), and I was playing ODIs, which were few and far between. So matches won't be a problem for Rohit and Virat, and there's enough time for the event," he concluded.

Rohit Sharma has, anyway, amassed 650 runs across 14 games since 2025, and Virat, on the other hand, has also amassed 651 runs from 13 games, with two and three centuries, respectively.

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