Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli only play ODIs for India after retiring from T20Is and Tests.
Former India keeper and batter Saba Karim has stated that ex-India captain Rohit Sharma will need to work hard on his fitness and batting as he aims to play for India in the 2027 ICC World Cup.
It is generally anticipated that the 2027 World Cup will mark the end of Kohli and Rohit's remarkable international careers, as both have retired from Test and Twenty20 cricket. Karim believes the two former leaders are in somewhat different circumstances now, though.
“I think Rohit has to do a lot of hard work. He has to work on his fitness levels and on his batting performance. I think selectors will be keenly watching Rohit's performance for the next six months to decide whether he can be part of the equation or not.
Virat does not need to prove anything. For Virat Kohli, I am sure that they are completely convinced that he will be a part of the 2027 World Cup set-up. Because through his performances and fitness level, through his hunger for runs, he has shown all that. So, I don't think Virat at this stage needs to prove anything to the selectors,” Saba Karim stated to PTI.
“Rohit, however, will have to do a lot of heavy lifting if he wants to get back in the selectors' World Cup planning,” he added.
The disparity was further emphasized by the different IPL 2026 marketing. With 115 half-centuries and 675 runs at a strike rate of 165.84, Kohli was crucial to Royal Challengers Bengaluru's title defence. Rohit had a challenging season with just 283 runs in nine innings, as MI finished 9th on the points table.
Karim is impressed by Kohli's ability to change. Even in the later phases of his career, Kohli was willing to reinvent himself, according to Karim.
“If you look at Virat Kohli's strike rate over the past two to three seasons in T20 cricket, it has gone up because he has realized that to be meaningful in T20 cricket, he has to work very hard on his strike rate. Now his strike rate is between 170 and 180. Last year, it was only 140-150. He's such an individual who keeps working on his strength all the time. Whatever Virat has achieved in Test cricket, in one-day cricket, and in T20 cricket now, one can always say that arguably, he is one of the best multi-format players that we have seen so far,” he elaborated.
(PTI inputs)