Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Urged To Be Persistent In Domestic Cricket For 2027 World Cup Readiness: 'They Will Need Regular Game Time'

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan asked legendary batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to take part in domestic cricket just to stay fit for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023.

Both Kohli and Rohit have announced their retirements from the T20Is and Test format. With two years remaining for the 2027 edition of the World Cup, fans are still in doubt whether the two veterans will take part in the prestigious ICC event or not.

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However, the BCCI has announced Team India's ODI squad for their upcoming Australia Tour on Saturday, October 4. In the squad, the BCCI selectors have included both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

‘Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Have To Play Domestic Cricket’: Former Cricketer

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan said that Kohli and Rohit need to play domestic cricket just to ensure more game time before the ODI World Cup 2027.

"Rohit has worked well on his fitness. He is focused on that. But there is regular fitness, and then there is game-time fitness. If you are not playing regular cricket, you have to ensure some game time. They have to play domestic cricket," Irfan Pathan said.

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The former cricketer added that Rohit and Kohli need to have more game time just to be fit, only then their dream to play the ODI World Cup 2027 will come true.

"They are big players and know what to do. They have all the experience in the world. But they are not even playing T20Is, so there will be big gaps between the few matches that they play before the big World Cup. They will need regular game time to be fit for that. Only then will their dream to play the 2027 World Cup come true," he added.

Ro-Ko's Stats In ODIs

Virat Kohli made his ODI debut in 2008 against Sri Lanka in Dambulla. Since then, the legendary batter has played 302 matches and 290 innings, scoring 14181 runs at a strike rate of 93.34 and an average of 57.88.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma played his maiden ODI game in 2007 against Ireland in Belfast. The 38-year-old played 273 ODIs and 265 innings, amassing 11168 runs at a strike rate of 92.80 and an average of 48.76.

Interestingly, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played their last ODI match in the summit clash at the Champions Trophy 2025, against New Zealand.