While the T20 World Cup is on the horizon, the Cricket World Cup remains the biggest competition, and all eyes of the Indian cricket fraternity are on the 2027 World Cup.
While it will mark the final ICC event of Gautam Gambhir’s tenure, it could also be the final time both Indian cricket legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli play for India.
Both Rohit and Virat have retired from T20Is and tests, but continue to go strong in ODIs. Although there were suggestions that they are set to call time on their career in 50-over cricket, with Rohit’s removal from ODI captaincy casting doubts on the future of both players, the star duo did not give any hint of leaving the sport at this juncture.
Infact, Rohit ended the series as the Player of the Series (POTS) with a century and a half-century while Kohli made a strong comeback after two ducks and scored a knock of 74 in the third game.
While a full two years are left in the quadrennial tournament, a reduction in bilateral ODIs means India has very few matches in 50-over cricket till the mega event. India is supposed to play 3 ODIS more in 2025, but could play as many as 15-18 in 2026.
India Full ODI Schedule Till 2027 World Cup
| Tournament | Matches | Dates |
| South Africa tour of India | 3 | 30th November 2025- 6th December 2026 |
| New Zealand tour of India | 3 | 11th January 2026-18th Janaury 2026 |
| Afghanistan tour of India | 3 | June 2026 |
| India tour of England | 3 | 14th July 2026-19th July 2026 |
| India tour of Bangladesh | 3 | September 2026 |
| West Indies tour of India | 3 | September/October 2026 |
| India tour of New Zealand | 3 | October/November 2026 |
| Sri Lanka tour of India | 3 | January 2026 |
| Asia Cup 2027 in Bangladesh | 2-7 | July 2027 |
It is worth noting that India was supposed to tour Bangladesh in August this year, but the BCCI had stated that the tour was postponed and would take place in September 2026. Meanwhile, the ICC has announced the Future Tour Programe till just March 2027 so far. The World Cup, set to be hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, is in October-November and hence, more ODI games are likely to be part of India’s schedule before they fly to Africa.
As things stand, India has about 26-33 games to play in ODI cricket before the World Cup.