Sanjay Manjrekar, ex-India cricketer, has shared his opinion on whether Rohit Sharma should be persisted with in the Indian team keeping the 2027 ICC World Cup in mind. Rohit Sharma will be seen in action when India takes on England in a three-ODI series from July 14 onwards.

Year 2026 has not been kind to Rohit as he has managed 204 runs in 6 ODIs with one fifty and ab average of 34. He has worked hard on his fitness given that he only plays the IPL and ODIs for India, having retired from T20Is and Tests.

"Do you see him in the 2027 World Cup," an anchor asked Sanjay Manjrekar on Sony Sports show.

"I mean this will become controversial. But I think I should not care; I have not cared for all these years. We are in mid-2026, and that World Cup is in late 2027. I think India have options. Virat Kohli, with his sheer fitness, is making a strong case. But what happens here is when we select, we are thinking Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma. We should think about what is best for Indian cricket," Sanjay Manjrekar replied on Sony Sports.

Manjrekar stated that he wouldn’t pick Rohit Sharma in his India 2027 World Cup squad and would instead give all these matches to someone younger who will serve the team for the coming decade.

"Opening in 50 overs is fun. It is a rehabilitation programme. That, I think, you should give to a player who is in his prime and has got another 5-10 years. If you are thinking only about Rohit Sharma, it's not right. You have to think about Indian cricket, the future of Indian cricket. In that space, I don't think Rohit Sharma would be my choice in the squad,” he added.

India’s ODI squad for England sees at the return of Jasprit Bumrah, who last played a game in the format in the final of the 2023 World Cup in Ahmedabad. Kohli has been included after missing the Afghanistan ODIs due to a hamstring injury.