Veteran opener Rohit Sharma, who remains active only in the 50-over format for India, has reiterated his desperation to win an ODI World Cup title.

Rohit came close to ODI World Cup glory in 2023, when he led a dominant Indian side all the way to the final before suffering a painful loss to Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

While questions have been raised on Rohit’s hunger and whether he has enough fuel in tank to play the 2027 World Cup, the 38-year-old has made it clear that he wants to feature in the quadrennial event in South Africa and will do everything in his capacity to be part of India’s squad.

In a video doing rounds on social media, Rohit was asked if the “ODI World Cup in South Africa is going to be an absolute laser focus for him over the next 18 months."

In reply, he said: “Yeah, I will definitely want to go out there (South Africa) and win the World Cup for my country (India). That is something that I’ve always looked upon. I’ve grown up watching this 50-over World Cup. There was no T20 World Cup back then, no World Test Championship, and no IPL. So, we’ve all grown up watching the 50-overs World Cup, and that was the pinnacle of cricket, which used to happen every four years. So there was desperation; there was so much waiting for that one trophy. And yeah, I really want that trophy as well. So I’m going to try and do everything in my power, in my capacity, to go and try and win that.”

Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20Is after leading India to the T20 World Cup title in 2024, while he called time on his Test career last year. He recently played the ODI series against New Zealand at home. His next assignment will be the IPL 2026 season for Mumbai Indians.

Rohit will next turn out for India in July 2026 against England. The Men in Blue are scheduled to tour England for a three-match ODI series.