IND vs BAN: Piyush Chawla gives bold verdict on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma’s 2027 CWC chances

Veteran India legspinner Piyush Chawla wants senior India players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play in the ODI World Cup 2027. Chawla feels that the opposition bowling is always in the backfoot even when one out of these two players is batting.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in the final part of their respective international careers. Rohit is 37 currently while Kohli is 35 years old. Both of them have had glorious international careers and have served the team for a long time.

Despite playing together for a no. of years, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli did not lift an ICC World Cup trophy together until the T20 World Cup 2024. The legendary players were also a part of India's Champions Trophy 2013-winning team under the leadership of MS Dhoni.

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Piyush Chawla wants Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play ODI World Cup 2027

During a podcast on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel, Piyush Chawla was asked about the chances of Rohit and Kohli playing together in the ODI World Cup 2027 and lifting the trophy.

Chawla reckons that both are match-winners and the bowling team is always on the backfoot even when one of them is at the crease. Chawla lauded Rohit through the example of his memorable knock against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024.

"Both of them (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) are not very far (from lifting an ODI World Cup trophy). Even I would love both of them playing together. The bowling team is always on the backfoot even when one of them is at the crease," Chawla said on the podcast.

"Even if you see the match against Australia recently (T20 World Cup 2024), he scored 30 runs off (Mitchell) Starc even after the fall of an early wicket. The game actually took a turn from that point," he added.

Piyush Chawla on Virat Kohli

Chawla also hailed Virat Kohli for his ability to build an innings. He claimed that experience is very important in big tournaments like World Cups and would like to see both of them playing in the tournament in 2027.

"Talking about Virat (Kohli), he knows how to build an innings. He has played for so many years, built so many match-winning knocks while chasing. Experience is very important. So, I believe that it will be great if both of them play together," the 35-year-old added.

Rohit and Kohli are the present stalwarts of Indian cricket. Rohit Sharma has scored more than 19000 runs in international cricket while Kohli has scored close to 27000 runs combined in all the formats.

Both have different batting styles but both are equally effective in their own ways. Sharma and Kohli are among the top three players with the most no. of runs during a run-chase in ODIs.

The ODI record of both the players is exceptional. Virat Kohli averages over 58 in 295 ODIs while Rohit Sharma has the highest individual score in the format when he scored 264 against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. If India manages to win the ODI World Cup 2027, it will be a fitting end to their outstanding careers.