Cricket: “No Guarantees” - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s 2027 World Cup hopes tossed into uncertainty
India stalwarts' World Cup availability in doubt?
The Indian national cricket team has undergone a major overhaul in the last two years, with stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli calling time on their Test and T20 careers, while Cheteshwar Pujara also hung up his boots in the longest format.
This turning of the tide has seen Suryakumar Yadav handed captaincy in the shortest format, while Shubman Gill was announced as the skipper of the Test team. However, in a stunning shift, Gill has now also been handed the reins of the 50-over team.
Indeed, ahead of the Men in Blue’s upcoming tour of Australia later this month, which we will be covering with our cricket predictions, India’s selection committee have replaced Sharma as the team’s ODI captain without any prior notice.
In recent times, India’s selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, have made clear that they intend to give younger players a chance in the senior team, which has added to the narrative that India are trying to force the likes of Kohli and Sharma out of the current setup.
Former RCB star and close friend of Kohli’s, AB de Villiers, has also weighed in on the situation, saying that there is no assurance that the two stalwarts would feature at the next global event, while adding that the choice to announce Gill as captain is a clear sign of what is to come.
India’s tour Down Under kicks off on October 19 with the first of three one-day internationals before the teams head into a five-match T20I series between October 29 and November 8.
Gill attempts to calm concerns over futures of Sharma and Kohli
Following the media explosion after Sharma was replaced as India’s ODI captain for the upcoming series, his successor, Shubman Gill, attempted to pour cold water over the notion that the team are trying to get rid of their most experienced players.
Gill spoke to the media about the importance of the experience that Sharma and Kohli bring to the side and explained that he hopes to be able to emulate his former captain’s leadership ability. He said:
“The experience and the number of matches they have won for India — very few players in the world have that quality and composure. There are so many qualities I want to inherit from Rohit Bhai — especially the calmness he brings and the friendships he built in the dressing room.”
Finally, Gill commented on his relationship with India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying that they are working on building around a core of 15-18 players, with the major focus being among fast bowlers to ensure rotation and readiness for overseas tours.
