Synopsis
Former India captains Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan have urged Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play domestic cricket, like the Vijay Hazare Trophy, to maintain match fitness for the 2027 World Cup. They highlighted that reduced ODI frequency and their age necessitate regular game time, especially since both have stepped away from other formats.
Agencies Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan feel that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who only play the ODI format, must play domestic cricket to keep themselves match fit and ready for the World Cup in 2027.
“They will have to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy in India whenever it’s scheduled, if it doesn’t clash with any international ODI tournaments. That’s one way to stay in trim and maintain match practice,” Sunil Gavaskar told India Today.
The former India captain feels that age could play a factor for them to remain in contention for selection unless they participate in domestic cricket. Sharma will be 40 years old, while Kohli will be 37 during the tournament that will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“It depends to a great extent on the number of one-day matches that India plays over the next couple of years,” said Gavaskar. Look, it’s not easy to be playing just seven or eight ODIs in a season while preparing for something as big as a World Cup. For those eight white-ball matches, there are probably five T20s and three ODIs. That is not giving much in terms of exposure or practice for players who are approaching the latter stages of their careers,” Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar also took a dig at the duo saying. “I’m pretty certain that if this were a trip to Zimbabwe or the West Indies, both of them would not have been available but because this is in Australia, and because India lost to Australia in the World Cup final, maybe that is the reason why both of
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