Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's 2027 World Cup participation hopes completely shattered

India National Cricket Team batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has crushed the hopes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to participate in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 with a blunt verdict.

Sunil Gavaskar opined that the India National Cricket Team modern-day batting greats, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, will not be able to take part in the 2027 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, no longer all-format

Kohli and Rohit are two of the biggest names to step foot into the international cricket arena, and they have showcased sheer dominance at the global stage for over a decade.

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Both the batters emerged as all-format superstars and contributed to several historic victories of the Indian team with their sensational batting performances in both red-ball and white-ball cricket.

However, Kohli and Rohit are now at the fag end of their careers. Currently, Kohli is 36 and Rohit Sharma is 38, and by the time the next ICC Cricket World Cup arrives, they will be 39 and 40, respectively.

This puts serious doubts over their participation in the 50-over World Cup in 2027. Notably, one thing that can work for or against them in their bid to secure a spot in India's 2027 ODI World Cup squad is their one-format availability.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have already retired from T20Is and Tests, and they will now only play ODIs. They can now solely focus on 50-over cricket and prepare themselves to the best of their abilities for the format. However, playing only one international cricket format after big gaps is something that might not work for them.

The selection committee will probably be looking at the 2027 World Cup - Sunil Gavaskar

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have openly expressed their desire to participate in the 2027 World Cup, and when Sunil Gavaskar was asked about this matter in an interaction on Sports Today, he replied:

"They have been massive performers in this format of the game. Again, the selection committee will probably be looking at the 2027 World Cup. They will be looking at whether they will be able to be in the team for the 2027 World Cup?'

"Will they be able to make the kind of contributions they have been making?' That will be the thought process of the selection committee. If the selection committee thinks 'yes, they can', then both of them will be there for that."

No, I don't think they will be playing - Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar was further asked about his views on whether Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would be in the Indian squad for the 2027 World Cup, and he replied by saying that the duo won't feature in the marquee competition.

"No, I don't think they will be playing. I am being very honest. But, who knows, in the next year or so, if they strike a rich vein of form, and if they keep scoring hundreds and hundreds, even God can't drop them," Gavaskar said.

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