Rohit Sharma with Gautam Gambhir at Ahmedabad in 2025. PC- AFP
Rohit Sharma has been the talk of the town since the BCCI announced the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, scheduled to kickstart on June 13.
Although the former Indian captain has been picked subject to fitness, his place in the squad for the 2027 World Cup has been a topic of newsroom debate, given the 39-year-old's recent injury history.
Rohit has already retired from Tests and T20Is, and only represents India in the ODI format. It is worth noting that the stylish opener led the Men in Blue to the World Cup 2023 final, but only to get his heart broken. His only dream is to win the illustrious silverware for his country. However, Rohit's ticket for the marquee event has been under the radar.
Rohit Sharma not in GG's plans for 2027 WC
Recently, a top website, Cricblogger, reported that Rohit Sharma is not part of the Indian team's management plans for the 2027 World Cup.
Instead of him, head coach Gautam Gambhir wants to groom another Mumbaikar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who missed out after Rohit's last-minute selection in the IND vs AFG ODI squad.
"Rohit Sharma wasn’t the selectors’ preferred choice to open the ODI innings alongside captain Shubman Gill for the Afghanistan series. Their pick was Yashasvi Jaiswal," the report from Cricblogger stated.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma's Nightmare Demands Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Test Debut
The report also stated that the 39-year-old opener had to make certain phone calls to top BCCI officials to retain his place in the team.
"Sources claimed that Rohit got an inkling of the selectors’ plans and made phone calls to board officials to retain his place in the team," the report said.
Yashasvi Jaiswal not in India, India A squads
Interestingly, Yashasvi Jaiswal was neither included in the Indian ODI squad nor in India A for the Tri-Series in Sri Lanka. The southpaw had a topsy-turvy time in the IPL 2026, notching 427 runs in 16 innings at an average of 30.50 with a strike rate of 152.50.
"Yashasvi Jaiswal was not picked for the India-A tri-series because he was initially expected to be part of the ODI squad in the absence of Rohit," the Cricblogger claimed.
It is worth mentioning that Jaiswal started the tournament on a high, but his numbers took a nosedive in the latter stages of the IPL 2026, scoring just a solitary half-century in the second half.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, a Test regular, was given a long rope in the Indian ODI setup against South Africa, when Shubman Gill was absent due to an injury. Although he started the bilateral with low string of scores, but notched up his maiden century in the format in Visakhapatnam.
However, he had to warm the bench in the subsequent series against New Zealand, when Gill got fit.
Conclusion by writer on Jaiswal over Rohit Sharma
It’s too early to comment on Yashasvi Jaiswal's inclusion over Rohit Sharma, as the talented left-hander has played only a few ODIs. Although he has slammed 1746 runs in 39 List-A matches, the southpaw has poor stats in South Africa, where the 2027 World Cup will be co-hosted.
He has played six innings in the Rainbow Nation, scoring 110 runs at an average of 18.33, which is utterly atrocious for a player who loves horizontal play. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, with 11577 ODI runs, is an undoubted legend of the sport.
India ODI squad for Afghanistan series
Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma (subject to fitness), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (subject to fitness), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
Also Read: Fact Check: Did Sachin Tendulkar Push Sanju Samson's Case For India's T20I Captaincy?
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