Gautam Gambhir took over as India head coach from Rahul Dravid in July 2024. Since then, he has guided India to two ICC titles - Champions Trophy 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026.

Gambhir now has set his eyes on the ODI World Cup, scheduled to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year.

After becoming the first Indian coach to secure two ICC titles, Gambhir said that he will be working on the blueprint for ODI World Cup 2027 during the IPL months.

"The planning for the 2027 World Cup will start after the IPL. There are 25 to 30 ODIs between IPL 2026 and the World Cup. This format is not played a lot these days. The earlier we start planning, the better it will be for us," Gambhir said in an interaction with India Today.

"South Africa is not an easy place to play cricket. We have to figure out combinations and identify the players who are suited to the conditions. The selectors and the coaches will do that. By the time IPL 2026 ends, India will have a blueprint for the ODI World Cup 2027," he added.

Following the IPL 2026 season, India will host Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series, starting June 14. The 50-over assignment will see Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returning to action for India after an extended gap. Both batting stalwarts currently only play ODIs, as they have retired from Tests and T20Is.

After the Afghanistan series, the Men in Blue will travel to England to play a three-match ODI series in July.

Kohli and Rohit’s future will depend on their performances in those six ODIs. Kohli has been in sensational form in ODIs lately, scoring a truckload of runs in home series against South Africa and New Zealand. While Rohit's runs dried up in the New Zealand series, he was Player-of-the-Series on the tour of Australia last October.