IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal has made a bold statement regarding the possibility of India’s veteran batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli participating in the 2027 ODI World Cup to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Dhumal said Rohit and Virat are part of India’s ODI plans even though they are nearing the end of their careers.
Rohit and Virat are not guaranteed a place in the squad for the 2027 World Cup as they are active only in the ODI format. Whether they get hired will depend on their form and performance over the next few years. The veterans are expected to maintain their form and fitness as they aim to help India win the World Cup.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are here to stay – IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal
Arun Dhumal termed the quality and dedication of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as ‘great’. Dhumal said that despite speculation about their future, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are far from leaving the 50-over format.
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“And you have great players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who people think are going to leave but they don’t leave. They are here to stay,” Dhumal said in an interview with ANI.
“And for Rohit to show his class in this ODI series at this age and be named Player of the Match in the final match and then Player of the Series, it shows the kind of belief they have, the kind of hard work they have put in,” he added.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is knocking on the door to be part of the team – Arun Dhumal
Arun Dhumal praised India’s depth of talent, including 14-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He pointed out that India’s bench strength has been discussed for years. Dhumal hinted that Vaibhav was already close to infiltrating the state system.
“We have been talking for a long time about the strength of this bench in the Indian team. But look at this team, the 14-year-old wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, he is knocking on the door to be part of the team,” Dhumal said..
After starting the series with back-to-back ducks, Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 74 off 81 deliveries. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma smashed a century and won both the Player of the Match award and the Player of the Series title.
The former Indian captain scored an impressive 202 runs in three matches, including a half-century and a century, with an average of 101 and a strike rate of 85.59.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s breakthrough came during IPL 2025 for Rajasthan Royals
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was awarded the Super Striker of the Season award after an impressive debut campaign for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025. The team missed the playoffs and finished 9th in the standings. Suryavanshi scored 252 runs in 7 innings with a strike rate of over 200.
The left-handed batsman scored 101 runs off 38 balls against a strong Gujarat Titans (GT) attack featuring Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan.
Suryavanshi also played in youth international cricket. He hit 143 off 78 against England Under-19s in Worcester, finishing as the top run-getter in the five-match series with 355 and an average of 71.
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