Retirement a long way off, Kohli helps India plan for ODI World Cup 2027: Shubman Gill

Former India captain Virat Kohli is firmly involved in India’s ODI World Cup 2027 team planning, skipper Shubman Gill revealed ahead of the three-match ODI series against England.

India has started preparations for the 2027 tournament to be held in South Africa. Shubman Gill is expected to lead a star-studded Indian team that will include Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.

While the future of Virat and Rohit was the talk of the town, Indian captain Shubman Gill hinted that the senior duo is nowhere near retirement. Shubman said Kohli was heavily involved in the planning of the Indian team for the World Cup and beyond, advising him on players who should be on India’s radar.

“We talked about combinations that could work in South Africa next year, players who are not in the squad at the moment who could be tried,” Shubman said ahead of the opening ODI in Birmingham. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were the backbone of the Indian team: Shubman. (Photo by Reuters)

‘NO T20I SERIES IMPACT ON THIS TEAM’

The Indian skipper also allayed any concerns about Rohit Sharma, saying that the star batting duo has formed the backbone of the Indian cricket team for over a decade and deserves the respect that has come with it.

“Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been the backbone of India’s batting line-up for the past decade and remain an integral part of the team. The experience and skills they bring is obviously very valuable. We have seen what they have done over the last decade in different conditions, consistently, in a number of matches and tournaments,” said Gill.

The team comes into the series after a disastrous run in the T20Is where they lost in both Ireland and England. Shubman said this should not worry the Indian team as the format was completely different.

“I don’t think the T20 series will have any impact on that. This is a different format, different team and different objectives. So it’s a different atmosphere here,” added Gill.

The first ODI series will begin on July 14 at 3:30 PM IST.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

13 Jul 2026 20:10 IST