New Delhi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed a strong desire to remain through the Los Angeles Olympics. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar wants to stay until the 2027 ODI World Cup. T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has set his sights on 2028 and ODI captain Shubman Gill has locked the ultimate target for South Africa. Every important individual in Indian cricket is focussed on what lies ahead but the biggest irony is that two of the country’s biggest superstars still have to deal with non-committal undertones.Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – two former ODI captains and arguably the finest cricketers to have played the game – are yet to receive public backing for next year’s showpiece in South Africa. “There is still time left,” “the World Cup is nearly two years away,” “we want to focus on the present.” With time, the statements have changed but the sentiment remains the same.
The only reassuring words from the Indian camp came in October 2025 when India’s Test and newly-appointed ODI captain, Gill, supported the two stalwarts. “Absolutely,” Gill said, when asked if he saw Rohit and Kohli playing an important role in ODIs leading into the World Cup. “The experience the two of them have (is immense), and there are very few players who can match the number of matches they have won for India,” he added.Less than a week later, coach Gambhir urged everyone to “stay in the present.”“Look, 50-over World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away, and I think it is very important to stay in the present,” he said in a press conference after India beat West Indies 2-0 in the Test series. “That is very important. Obviously, they are quality players, they are coming back, their experience is going to be a handful in Australia as well. Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour, and more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful series.”
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Screengrab)
Since then, Virat and Rohit have played series against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and they also squeezed in some List A outings for their respective states in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While Rohit has lost a lot of weight—”half of him,” according to Brendon McCullum—Virat has gained plenty of intent.Virat, in particular, has switched to beast mode. In his last 10 fifty-over outings, he has hit four hundreds and as many half-centuries. Rohit had quieter showings against New Zealand but he, too, looked menacing in the series against South Africa and Australia. Both right-handers, who have been the backbone of the Indian team for the last two decades, are in the last phase of their careers but continue to fight for survival while chasing the unfinished business from three years ago.India face a packed ODI calendar leading up to next year’s World Cup, and it is imperative that someone from the BCCI calls both Rohit and Virat to discuss their plans. Not the players’ plans, but the board’s plans. The players have their target locked and the onus is now on the Indian cricket board to navigate the situation.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (AP Photo)
The dagger of insecurity hanging over their heads is not ideal for any Indian dressing room, and it’s not a surprise that the ODI set-up remains the most tense one. There are strong murmurs that some senior players are limiting their conversations with the coach and restricting their chatter with the chief selector to formal pleasantries.
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What should be the main focus of the Indian cricket team in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup?
The head coach asserted during one of his many media appearances since winning the T20 World Cup that planning for the ODI World Cup will begin some time during the IPL but before the blueprint is finalised, dialogue needs to happen. Not just dialogue but clear communication stating whether Virat and Rohit fit into the World Cup plans.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Pic credit: BCCI)
Although it’s quite funny that a conversation of this nature, involving two white ball giants, is even required, the indirect messaging via press conferences and the growing chatter on social media timelines are doing everything but making the dressing room ideal for an event of that proportion. If other one-format cricketers, not on the right side of 30, can look two years ahead; if a chief selector can ask for a shot at unfinished business; and if a head coach can express a desire to continue a year after his official tenure ends, the least Virat and Rohit can expect is clear dialogue. If the men who matter still feel they can have a real shot without the two, and keep the dressing room at its secure best, they must be reading the room with supernatural powers.
