The participation of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the 2027 ODI World Cup is highly debated, as both of them will be on the verge of turning 40 (Rohit will be 40 and Kohli will be 39) when the tournament kicks off in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Despite retiring from T20Is and Tests to manage their workloads, the selectors and team management have maintained a non-committal, "assess-as-we-go" stance, emphasizing that October 2027 is still far away.

Former cricketers and analysts remain divided; voices like Ravichandran Ashwin strongly advocate for their invaluable experience in African conditions, while others point to their age as a reason management might transition toward younger replacements.

Amid the speculation and debate, former India batter Suresh Raina has thrown his weigh behind Rohit and Kohli for the quadrennial event, citing that their presence gives the national team 90% chance of winning the World Cup.

“We have a run machine at home, and we have a great captain who has won so many trophies in the IPL and for the country. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need no introduction because I have played a lot of matches with them. This time, we are playing the World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe, and I think having both of them in the team gives us a 90 percent chance of winning the trophy,” Raina told reporters.

Meanwhile, both stalwarts remain highly motivated to play the World Cup. In fact, they made a notable return to the Vijay Trophy during the 2025-26 domestic season to secure essential game time and counter the scarcity of scheduled international ODIs.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will next be in action during the three-match ODI series against the West Indies at home from September 27 to October 3. Subsequently, they will travel to New Zealand for a five-match ODI series in November, followed by three home ODIs against Sri Lanka in December.