Manhas: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s 2027 World Cup places to hinge on fitness and performance

BCCI president Mithun Manhas on October 13, 2026 told Sportstar that the selection of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup in Africa would be determined by fitness and performance rather than age.

India had won the T20 World Cup earlier this year without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, prompting talk of a broader overhaul in other formats that, according to match returns in 2026, did not materialise. After India’s ODI skipper Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the leading run-scorers for the Men in Blue in ODIs this year: Rohit has 604 runs in 12 games at an average of 50 with two centuries and two fifties; Kohli has 552 runs in nine innings at an average of 69, including a best of 139 against the West Indies in Thiruvantapuram and two centuries and three fifties. KL Rahul is the fourth-highest scorer for India in ODIs in 2026 with 323 runs in 10 matches.

Manhas said the BCCI could not comment on individual selections because those decisions rest with the selectors and the coaches. Mithun Manhas said: "As far as the BCCI is concerned, we are not in a position to comment because it all depends on the selectors and the coaches. But from how I look at it, fitness and performance should be the criteria for selection, and definitely not age. If somebody is fit to play, and you see him performing and winning games for the country, that is the only criterion we should focus on."

The inclusion of the two senior batters would surely help the Indian side, bringing experience to the World Cup, where they finished as runners-up last time around.

According to Manhas, the final decision on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's places in India’s 2027 World Cup squad will be taken by the selectors and coaches with fitness and on-field performance as the primary criteria.