Can Rohit Sharma stretch his career till 2027 World Cup? Harbhajan Singh expresses uncertainty; Here's why
Rohit Sharma led India to Champions Trophy victory, fueling speculation about his 2027 World Cup participation.
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma recently led the Men in Blue to Champions Trophy 2025 triumph, defeating New Zealand in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on March 9. Rohit guided India to end 12-year Champions Trophy title drought with an unbeaten run in the tournament.
This was India’s second consecutive ICC title win under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in the last nine months, having earlier won the T20 World Cup triumph last year by South Africa in the final at Bridgetown in Barbados. With this, Rohit Sharma became the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni and the fifth after Sir Clive Lloyd, Ricky Ponting, and Darren Sammy to win two or more ICC titles as a captain. Additionally, the 37-year-old is the second captain after Clive Lloyd to win ICC titles on the trot.
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Right after the Champions Trophy triumph, Rohit Sharma dismissed all the speculations of his ODI retirement, stating that he is not retiring from the format. Reportedly, the veteran Indian batter devised a plan in order to remain fit for the 2027 World Cup and would take India’s batting coach Abhishek Nayar’s help to work on his plans to stretch his international career until the marquee event. The only elusive ICC title left for Rohit Sharma is the ODI World Cup.
Can Rohit Sharma stretch his career till 2027 ODI World Cup?
Former Indian cricketer and Rohit Sharma’s teammate Harbhajan Singh has cast doubt on Team India skipper’s participation in the marquee event, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Harbhajan stated that there are more than two years left until the 2027 ODI World Cup and Rohit Sharma’s fitness and hunger to continue will play a key role in determining his participation in the prestigious event.
“I feel that if anything is left for him to achieve is the 50-over World Cup. He would probably want to win but there are still two and a half years for that. That is way too far, he will have to see where his fitness is going, where his hunger is going," former Indian skipper said.
Rohit Sharma is currently 37 years old and will turn 38 in the month of April. By the time 2027 ODI World Cup takes place, Rohit will already be 40 and maintaining his fitness will be crucial for him to participate in the tournament.
Rohit Sharma and Team India inched closer to winning the prestigious ODI World Cup title but the Men in Blue fell short as they lost to six-time champions Australia in the 2023 final in Ahmedabad. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, Team India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament until the final, where they suffered a heartbreaking six-wicket defeat against Australia.
‘Rohit Sharma will have to work hard’: Harbhajan Singh
The veteran spinner further added that Rohit Sharma will need to work hard on his fitness in order to ensure his participation in the 2027 ODI World Cup.
“If he's still got it, he will have to work hard for it and if he works hard, he will play. So is the case with Virat Kohli," Harbhajan Singh.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from T20Is after India’s T20 World Cup triumph last year. The Indian batting stalwarts are only focusing on Tests and ODIs. Before the Champions Trophy 2025, there were reports that Rohit Sharma was asked to communicate his future plans to the BCCI after the marquee event. The reports also suggested that Rohit’s captaincy future would depend on India’s overall result at the Champions Trophy.
After India’s Champions Trophy, Rohit Sharma not only saved his ODI captaincy but also retained his Test captaincy, which came under scrutiny after India’s disastrous Test series against Australia in Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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