Age does not play a role in Rohit-Virat selection for ODI World Cup squad: BCCI president

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be judged on their fitness and performance, not their age, ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, BCCI president Mithun Manhas said ahead of India’s tour of New Zealand.

In an interview with Sportstar, Manhas hinted that selection for the World Cup will depend on the two senior batsmen continuing to perform. The quadrennial tournament will take place in October and November next year in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Two seasoned Indian cricketers who have retired from T20I and Test cricket in the last 24 months are hoping to play one more ODI World Cup as they were part of the Indian team that lost the final of the previous edition.

“From my point of view, the selection criteria should be fitness and performance, definitely not age. If someone is fit to play, perform well and win matches for the country, that should be the only criteria we focus on,” Manhas said.

HOW WILL ROHIT AND VIRAT BE OLD DURING WC?

Rohit Sharma will be 40 in April 2027 while Virat Kohli will be 38 during the World Cup. Former cricketers and fans have naturally raised questions about India’s transition plans and the roles the two senior players will play in the coming years.

During chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s tenure, the transition was made with precision, with Rohit, Virat and Ravindra Jadeja retiring from T20Is after a victorious T20 World Cup campaign in India in 2024. Rohit and Virat subsequently retired from Test cricket in 2025.

There was strong speculation of Rohit Sharma’s retirement amid poor ODI form, but his century at Lord’s all but dispelled those fears. Virat, on the other hand, has enjoyed his time and role in ODIs and has averaged Bradman in the format.

Manhas also spoke about how the presence of Rohit and Virat could help Shubman Gill develop as a captain, drawing parallels with Virat learning under MS Dhoni and Dhoni having the guidance of Sourav Ganguly.

“Shubman has been the captain of the Gujarat Titans for two or three years now, apart from leading India. I think that experience will come in handy when he starts his World Cup campaign. Having Virat, Hardik (Pandya) and Rohit alongside him. Then there are people like (Jasprit) Bumrah who might take over as the bowling boss while someone else might lead the bowling work while someone else. It will be interesting to see how things develop but Shubman is a balanced guy and I think having seniors around him will be an advantage,” said Manhas.

India will begin a multi-format tour of New Zealand on October 22, which will feature five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. The ODI series will be played from November 4 to 15, putting Kohli and Rohit in the limelight as India continue their preparations for the 2027 World Cup.

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