After getting sacked as India’s ODI captain last year, Rohit Sharma displayed renewed determination as he improved his fitness considerably.

The veteran opener also performed exceptionally well in the team’s ODI series wins over Australia (away) and South Africa (home), showing that he has enough fuel left in the tank for the 2027 World Cup.

Despite his impressive exploits, some reports have claimed that Indian selectors and team management are not sure about Rohit making it to the quadrennial event at the age of 40.

However, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes Rohit has silenced critics questioning his fitness and longevity in international cricket.

“A year from now, you will remember exactly what I am saying now. Whenever Rohit Sharma comes out to bat, this is what you will recall. Look at what he has done with his fitness, look at how his batting is going. His face has completely firmed up, he looks completely young. It’s as if he has taken off four or five years from his age. So watch, at the 2027 World Cup, I guarantee you that these are the two things people will talk about regarding Rohit Sharma. The one people used to question, he has completely put a full stop to that now," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

“Rohit Sharma completely silenced the critics. People had raised questions in front of him saying that he had become a little heavy, was struggling to move, and was not scoring runs. But Rohit answered all those questions through his performance. He worked on his fitness and now he looks extremely lean and fit, much more than before. He effectively proved the critics wrong by showing that he has worked on his body and is in great shape," he added.

Kaif emphasized that Rohit's recent ODI performances, along with improved physical fitness, have effectively answered doubts about his capability to perform.

“Then the next question people had was whether he would be able to score runs. But if you look at his recent form in ODIs, his centuries, and his overall performance, he has answered that as well. He has ticked both boxes, and now people have nothing left to say,” he remarked.

Rohit Sharma is widely regarded as one of the best leaders in the modern-day game. Under his captaincy, the Men in Blue won two ICC trophies – Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025 – and also played the final of ODI World Cup 2023.

Beyond his captaincy feats, Rohit boasts an outstanding batting record in international cricket. In Tests, he has scored 4,301 runs in 67 matches, including 12 hundreds. In ODIs, he has amassed 11,577 runs in 282 matches with 33 hundreds. In T20Is, the right-handed opener has aggregated 4,231 runs, including five centuries.

Rohit called time on his Test career in May last year. Having retired from T20Is in 2024, he now focuses solely on the ODI format.