3 min readMar 14, 2026 04:49 PM IST
With India winning the 2026 T20 World Cup, the focus will now slowly shift to the longer white-ball format in which veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are expected to play a crucial role. Rohit, who was closely involved with the 2026 T20 World Cup as the ICC’s brand ambassador for the tournament, retired from Test cricket as captain of the team after a disastrous tour of Australia last year. That left him active only in ODIs, having retired from T20Is after leading India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup, leading questions over his place in the team considering the dwindling number of 50-over matches that are being played in international cricket.
However, Rohit answered those critics by returning to the international stage visibly leaner and with some consistent performances with the bat. Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif has said that Rohit has silenced all those who used to question his fitness and his physique and performances will be all that will be spoken of in the 2027 World Cup.
“A year from now, you will remember exactly what I am saying now. Whenever Rohit Sharma comes out to bat, this is what you will recall. Look at what he has done with his fitness, look at how his batting is going. His face has completely firmed up, he looks completely young. It’s as if he has taken off four or five years from his age. So watch, at the 2027 World Cup, I guarantee you that these are the two things people will talk about regarding Rohit Sharma. The one people used to question, he has completely put a full stop to that now,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
Both Rohit and Kohli played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for their respective domestic sides late last year. Rohit scored a century and three half centuries in six matches before donning Mumbai’s colours in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, he only managed scores of 26, 24 and 11 in India’s last ODI series against New Zealand. Kohli, on the other hand, has been relentless since copping two ducks in his first two matches after retiring from Tests in May 2025. He has scored three centuries and four half-centuries since then in seven matches, which included a 93 in the first ODI against New Zealand.
