Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. (FILE photo)Former Australian captain Aaron Finch has said that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing domestic cricket may not have as big a bearing on them playing the 2027 ODI World Cup. The 38-year-old felt that if both players continued to perform and had the desire to play 50-over cricket, there was no reason for them not to be in contention for the quadrennial tournament.
The two former India captains will play their first ODI match for India in over six months when they take the field against Australia at Perth on Sunday.
“I don’t think it necessarily comes down to playing so much domestic cricket. I don’t think that would change their chances or the way they approach it at all. The odd game here or there, just to make sure that they’re ticking over in a competitive environment,” Finch told Hindustan Times in a media interaction on Saturday.
“But you know that they’re going to be hitting thousands and thousands of balls behind the scenes, away from the cameras. So, yeah, if the desire is still there, and if the performances are there, there’s no reason why they won’t,” the former opening batter added.
Finch also agreed with the decision to appoint Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain, ahead of the Australia series.
It’s a great move to get Shubman in at this time. Whenever you’re probably this far out from a 50-over World Cup, I think it’s important that you’re well and truly into the planning stages, focusing on that 2027 World Cup. So, from my point of view, I think it’s absolutely the right move. He’s a wonderful player; we know that in all formats of the game. So, from that point of view, he’s in a great space as a player to take over the leadership of a couple of formats of the game,” he said.
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