Harbhajan urges selection on form as Kohli, Rohit remain World Cup contenders, cites Messi example

On August 13, 2026, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh told PTI in a podcast interview he believes Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should remain in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup if they continue to perform and maintain their fitness. He cited Lionel Messi’s recent World Cup campaign to argue that age should not be the deciding factor in selection.

Rohit will turn 40 and Kohli 39 during the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and both have stepped away from other international formats—Rohit from Tests and Kohli from T20Is. Harbhajan said selection should be based on output rather than age. "Whoever the player is, I believe the marker should be performance, not age," Harbhajan said. He pointed to Messi, who was 39 when he led Argentina to the final of the recent football World Cup, as an example of an elite athlete continuing to make a decisive impact despite his age.

On the subject of Kohli specifically, Harbhajan said: "Virat may be 39 but if he is still beating those 20-year-old guys on the field, it (his age) doesn't matter. Look at Lionel Messi. At 40 (39), five men fail to stop him. If a player has that kind of fitness and skill where even five opponents can't keep him at bay, then we know that skill always takes precedence," he reasoned.

Harbhajan emphasised the primacy of fitness and form in selection discussions. "Fitness is a priority, and your performance matters. Performance is the ultimate criterion. So if these two score runs and can match the fitness of a Shreyas (Iyer) or a Yashasvi (Jaiswal), then nothing else matters," he said.

He urged India head coach Gautam Gambhir to back the pair’s experience when shaping the World Cup squad. "If I were the coach, my job would be to give them the platform as my expectations from Rohit and Virat would be much higher than what I expect from a Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. These two have that experience. They have experience of 300 games which Sooryavanshi won't have," he said. "Yes, a Sooryavanshi can walk in and blast bowlers but Virat and Rohit have the experience."

Harbhajan credited Kohli with altering India’s approach to fitness and instilling a stronger intent in match situations. He recalled: "This change was first brought in by Virat Kohli when he became the captain in 2014-15. Before that we won't think that we can go for a chase of 400 on the final day. Virat told the boys, 'let's at least try. We might lose but if we keep trying one day we will surpass that 400 plus in last innings.'" "If we have to get 10 wickets on last day, we will go for it. The winning mentality and not settle for draw is what Virat Kohli got," he recalled. Harbhajan said Kohli deserved 90 per cent of the credit for changing the team's approach to fitness.

Addressing the endpoint of careers, Harbhajan said players ultimately recognise when they must step away. "Rohit and Virat will get their answer from within. You realise when you have reached that phase where you need to call time," he said. Drawing on his own experience, he reflected: "Ashwin was already doing well... You have to accept the reality that this guy (Ashwin) is doing well. If I had to beat Ashwin, I would have had to start from scratch and work as much as I had worked for those first 400 wickets. Could I have done it? The answer came from within that I can't," he said; Harbhajan finished his career with 416 Test and 269 ODI wickets.

With more than a year remaining before the World Cup, Harbhajan said India can delay finalising the squad but should have a clear core group and defined roles at least six months before the tournament. He framed that timing as the management’s responsibility for planning rather than an immediate selection decision.