Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has urged Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to participate in domestic cricket in preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The veteran duo will return to action in the upcoming ODI series against Australia, having been included in India’s squad for the tour announced on Saturday, October 4.
Pathan emphasized that the key concern for Kohli and Rohit would be maintaining sufficient match practice if they aim to feature in the 2027 World Cup. Both stalwarts have retired from T20Is and Tests, and will now represent India only in ODIs. Consequently, their opportunities to gain regular international game time before the next World Cup will be limited.
“There will only be one challenge for Rohit and Virat for the 2027 World Cup. Rohit has worked well on his fitness. He is very focused on that. But if you are not playing regular cricket, both of them have to ensure game time. They have to play domestic cricket.”
“They are big players and know what to do. But there will be big gaps as they will only play ODIs. They will have to ensure their game time fitness in these gaps. If they overcome these challenges, which they can as well, their dream of playing the 2027 World Cup can come true,” he said on his YouTube channel.
Irfan further pointed out that Shubman Gill is likely to face a testing phase in the near future. Gill has taken over as India’s ODI captain, succeeding Rohit Sharma, after previously replacing him as the Test skipper too.
“Gill will lead in two formats now. This is a big opportunity. He has to take forward Virat’s legacy in Test cricket and Rohit’s legacy in ODIs. This is a challenging yet exciting phase for him as he is batting well anyway,” he added.
“All Eyes Will Be On Him”– Irfan Pathan On Pacer Harshit Rana
Pacer Harshit Rana has earned a place in India’s ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming Australia tour. His consistent selection has raised some eyebrows, but Irfan Pathan believes the youngster is being supported for his potential. At the same time, Pathan noted that Harshit must now convert his promise into impactful performances.
“There are lot of talks of Harshit Rana being backed regularly. But he is being backed on potential. He is tall, if he works slightly hard, he can bat at number eight or nine. There will be eyes on him and his performance. The challenge will be how he converts his talent into performances,” he said.
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