Irfan Pathan revealed Rohit Sharma’s wish to feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup despite retirement rumours. He noted Rohit’s challenges in staying fit and match-ready, especially after stepping away from Tests and T20Is.
Former India all-rounder turned commentator, Irfan Pathan, revealed the conversation with Rohit Sharma amid rumours of his retirement from ODI cricket, especially before the 2027 World Cup. In May, Rohit bid adieu to his Test career before the recent England Tour, which Team India, under the leadership of Shubman Gill, drew the five-match series 2-2 with a victory at the Oval.
Rohit Sharma already retired from T20Is after leading the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup triumph. With his retirement from T20Is and Tests, the 38-year-old features only in the shorter format of the game at the international level. However, rumours are spreading like wildfire that the upcoming ODI series in Australia will likely be last appearance for Rohit in international cricket, given the uncertainty over his participation in the ODI World Cup, which will take two years from on.
Recently, the veteran Indian batter underwent fitness tests, including Bronco, at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) and received a clearance certificate, keeping him available for selection for the ODI series against Australia, which will take place on October 19.
Rohit Sharma keen to play 2027 World Cup
Amid the rumours of Rohit Sharma’s ODI retirement before the World Cup, Irfan Pathan revealed the conversation with the ODI captain, stating that the Indian batting stalwart expressed his keenness to play in the 2027 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. However, Pathan highlighted the challenges that lie ahead for Rohit Sharma.
“This new (fitness) test is obviously not easy, so once you can clear it, that means your fitness is top-notch. I had a long call with him as well as far as just to know about his plans; he’s very keen,” the former India all-rounder said in a special interaction organised by Star Sports.
“He wants to make sure that he continues playing. As long as the player is fit, the age doesn’t matter,” he added.
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Rohit Sharma has not played any competitive cricket since his outing for the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2025, where they lost to the Punjab Kings. In international cricket, Rohit Sharma’s last appearance was in the Champions Trophy 2025 final, where Team India defeated New Zealand to lift the silverware for the first time since 2013.
After a long vacation with his family, Rohit Sharma began working on his fitness under the watchful eyes of a trusted aide and former Mumbai teammate, Abhishek Nayar.
Challenges for Rohit Sharma ahead of the ODI World Cup
Further speaking about Rohit Sharma’s keen interest in playing the 2027 World Cup, Irfan Pathan highlighted the biggest challenges not only for the ODI captain but also for Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami, who have also not played any international cricket since the Champions Trophy final.
“As I said earlier as well, age does not matter if a player is fit. But the challenge will be to have a game time, because there will be a lot of gaps in terms of playing 50-over cricket. There won’t be any problem with motivation when it comes to playing for India,” Pathan said.
“Be it Kohli or Rohit, or Shami, but what matters is how much cricket they can continue playing and the game time they have, in whatever format. Kohli and Rohit have retired from Tests and T20Is, so this will be the only challenge they have,” he added.
Rohit Sharma is eyeing to make a comeback in the India A’s ODI series against Australia A as a warm-up for the white tour of Australia, while Virat Kohli is likely to directly feature in the ODI series against Australia. Veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami recently played for East Zone in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy quarterfinal against North Zone.