Fitness and form to decide Rohit, Kohli's 2027 World Cup places, says BCCI president
BCCI president Mithun Manhas told Sportstar on October 21, 2026, ahead of India’s tour of New Zealand that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be assessed for the 2027 ODI World Cup on the basis of fitness and performance rather than age. Manhas made the remarks as India prepare to begin a multi-format tour on October 22.
The 2027 ODI World Cup will be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November next year. The two senior batters, who retired from T20Is and Test cricket in the last 24 months, are aiming to play what they hope will be a final ODI World Cup after being part of the Indian side that lost the previous edition's final. Rohit Sharma will turn 40 in April 2027, while Virat Kohli will be 38 during the tournament. Questions over India’s transition and the roles of senior players have been raised by former cricketers and fans.
Manhas set out his selection principle in clear terms: “From my perspective, fitness and performance should be the criteria for selection, definitely not age. If someone is fit to play, performing well and winning games for the country, that should be the only criterion we focus on,” Manhas said.
He recalled the recent transition managed under chief selector Ajit Agarkar, noting that Rohit, Virat and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is after India’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign and that Rohit and Virat subsequently retired from Test cricket in 2025. Manhas suggested that the transition had been handled with care while senior players remained available for selection in ODIs.
There has been speculation about Rohit Sharma’s future amid a spell of poor ODI form, but his century at Lord’s alleviated some of those concerns, according to the report. The piece also states that Virat Kohli has continued to prosper in the ODI format, compiling runs at what it describes as a Bradman-esque average.
Manhas also spoke about how the presence of Rohit and Virat could help Shubman Gill develop as a captain, drawing parallels with how Virat learnt under MS Dhoni and Dhoni had the guidance of Sourav Ganguly. “Shubman has been the captain of Gujarat Titans for two or three years now, apart from leading India. I think that experience will come in handy when he begins his World Cup campaign. Having Virat, Hardik (Pandya) and Rohit in the side will definitely help him. Then there are the likes of (Jasprit) Bumrah, who could take charge as the bowling captain, while someone else could lead the fielding unit. So, it is all about distributing the workload. It will be interesting to see how things unfold. But Shubman is a level-headed guy, and I think having the seniors around him will be an advantage,” Manhas said.
India’s scheduled tour of New Zealand begins on October 22 and comprises five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests, with the ODI series set for November 4 to 15; those ODIs will place Kohli and Rohit under scrutiny as India continue preparations for the 2027 World Cup.