October 7, 2025

Big news for cricket fans! Legendary former captains Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan have spoken out about two of India's biggest stars – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both players now focus only on ODIs, leaving behind T20s and Tests. The big question: how do they stay sharp and match-fit for the grand 2027 World Cup? Gavaskar has a spicy suggestion: "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," he told India Today. This yearly List-A tournament is the perfect ground for keeping game rhythm alive. As Gavaskar points out, age is on the clock. Rohit will be 40, and Kohli 37 by the time the World Cup kicks off 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," Gavaskar added. He highlighted the crunch: "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 also threw a little shade: "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 them have decided, yes, I want to be available for this." Joining the chorus, Irfan Pathan took to his YouTube channel with a clear message. Game fitness, he warned, is no joke. "Rohit and Virat want to play the 2027 World Cup, but game fitness will be a big challenge for them. Rohit has worked well on his fitness. He is focused on that. But there is regular fitness, and game time fitness... If you are not playing regular cricket, both of them have to ensure some game time. They have to play domestic cricket," Pathan urged. Remember, Rohit and Kohli stepped back from T20Is in 2024 and Tests in May 2025. Now, only ODIs remain on their menu—and those too have become fewer because of commercial reasons and IPL focus. The pressure is on them to keep shining despite these challenges. Meanwhile, a new chapter begins for India’s ODI squad. Shubman Gill is debuting as ODI captain on the Australia tour. India’s domestic season is just around the corner, featuring the exciting Vijay Hazare Trophy. Interestingly, neither Kohli nor Rohit has played this competition in a long time. As Pathan says, "There is a leadership change; Gill will lead in both formats now. This is a big opportunity but a huge responsibility too. He has to take forward Virat's legacy in Test cricket and Rohit's legacy in white-ball cricket. This is a challenging but exciting phase for him as he is already batting well, he will need to keep that form going." So, cricket lovers, watch this space! With Rohit and Kohli possibly returning to domestic cricket, the road to the 2027 World Cup promises thrilling twists and turns.

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Tags: Rohit sharma, Virat kohli, Vijay hazare trophy, Sunil gavaskar, Irfan pathan, 2027 world cup,