"We need them.." Shubman Gill speaks on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli's ODI future ahead of 2027 WC

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will make their India return on the tour of Australia.

New India ODI captain Shubman Gill spoke about the future of veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the format. Gill replaced Rohit as the new India ODI captain as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the upcoming Australia white-ball tour.

Rohit and Kohli have retired from T20Is and tests and last played for India in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 earlier this year, which they won by defeating New Zealand in the final in Dubai.

The Australia ODI series starting on October 19 will be their first international appearance since March. Fans are relieved to see familiar faces back. For team managers, it’s a balancing act: how do you integrate two legends nearing the end of their careers without slowing the team’s forward momentum?

‘They have so much experience and so many skills.’ – Shubman Gill on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

Speaking ahead of the second test between India and the West Indies in Delhi, India’s rising batting prodigy Shubman Gill emphasized the important role they still play in the Indian dressing room, especially given the ongoing controversy over whether the two would be part of the national team leading up to the 2027 ODI World Cup or not.

“The experience that we both have and the matches that we’ve won for India. There are very few players who have won so many matches for India. There are very few players in the world who have the same skill, the same quality, and the same experience. From that perspective, we are definitely looking at them for 2027. In that sense, I’m very happy,” Gill said in the press conference on Thursday,” as per ANI.

Gill emphasized their continued importance to the team in the ODI format, following their retirement from T20 Internationals and Tests.

“The two have won so many games for India. Very few have so much skill and experience. We need them,” Gill affirmed.

Kohli and Rohit will focus solely on ODIs in the future, a reasonable option as India prepare for 2027 World Cup cycle and T20 rebuild.

This limited involvement also indicates a delicate tapering, allowing the couple to prioritize quality over quantity while maintaining their fitness, form, and emotional bandwidth for the format in which they have penned some of India’s greatest modern victories.

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