Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (Source:X)
Fresh off a historic win in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has stated that a transition phase could be on the horizon for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Gautam Gambhir also suggested that the team management will carefully reassess the squad before the ICC World Cup 2027, leaving the future of senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli uncertain.
India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8. The victory made India the first team to win the T20 World Cup three times and also the first to defend the title successfully.
Led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, the Men in Blue delivered a dominant performance in front of a packed crowd.
For Gautam Gambhir, the triumph marked his second ICC trophy as India's head coach after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The former Indian opener had taken over the coaching role from Rahul Dravid, and his tenure runs until the ODI World Cup in 2027.
Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli uncertain for 2027 ODI World Cup
Gautam Gambhir said the team management will soon shift its focus toward long-term preparation for the next major global event in the 50-over format.
According to the coach Gautam Gambhir, India will begin building a detailed blueprint for the ODI World Cup once the IPL 2026 season concludes.
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The coaching staff and selectors will evaluate players, combinations, and strategies suited to the conditions in South Africa, which will co-host the tournament with Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Question: There have been changes in the Test and T20 teams. New recruits have replaced the seniors. How do you see the team now for the ODI World Cup?
Gambhir: We still have two to three months. It's not like we have to think about anything immediately. There's still a year and a half until the ODI World Cup. The IPL will be about to end when the head coach and chief selector will sit down and discuss which combination to use at which position and which combination to use in South Africa, because the conditions there won't be the same as in India. The conditions in South Africa will be very different from India. We'll prepare the team based on what the final eleven and the combination should be. The truth is, we don't play many ODIs.
There will be 25 to 30 ODIs before the next ODI World Cup. We need to use those 30 ODIs to prepare for the World Cup. Some tournaments will have three ODIs, while others will have five. In T20, we also play in the IPL, and we also play three- and five-match series after that. If we consider ODI series, very few series have five matches. Whatever preparations are required will begin after the IPL ends. (Exclusive Interview from Jagran)
India are expected to play between 25 and 30 ODIs before the tournament to finalise their combinations. The coaching staff under Gautam Gambhir will use this period to test different players and determine the best playing XI for the challenging overseas conditions.
Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli under the spotlight
The shift toward long-term planning has placed veteran players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli under intense scrutiny. Both players currently feature mainly in the ODI format for India.
India's next ODI assignment will be a three-match series against the Afghanistan, starting on June 14. The series will be followed by a tour of England, where India will play both T20Is and ODIs.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's recent form
Virat Kohli has been in excellent form in the recent ODI series against South Africa and New Zealand. In the New Zealand series, the star batter played 3 innings and scored 240 runs at an average of 80.00 and a strike rate of 105.26.
In the South Africa series, he played three innings and made 302 runs at a strike-rate of 117.05 and an average of 151.
Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, endured a lean run during the New Zealand series. The star batter managed just 61 runs in 3 innings at an average of 20.33. In the South Africa series, Rohit made 146 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 110.61 and an average of 48.67.
Their performances in the upcoming ODI matches vs AFG could play a significant role in determining whether they remain part of India’s plans for the 2027 World Cup.
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