Head coach Gautam Gambhir reveals 'staying in present' over Rohit-Virat future

Published - 14 Oct 2025, 16:46 IST | Updated - 14 Oct 2025, 17:23 IST

As India prepares for their upcoming ODI series against Australia, head coach Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that his focus lies on the present rather than speculating about the long-term future of senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Gambhir opened up after India’s 2-0 Test series win against the West Indies.

With the 2027 ODI World Cup still over two years away, many have spoken about whether Rohit, who will be 40, and Kohli, who will be 38, will continue to feature in India’s long-term white-ball plans. Both players have not played international cricket since India’s Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year and are now returning for the Australia series.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar had previously shared similar comments, stating that discussions about the 2027 World Cup were too far. Gambhir repeated that message during the press conference, urging everyone to focus on the immediate assignments ahead. The former opener further spoke about the importance of the duo’s experience for the tour of Australia.

“2027 World Cup is 2.5 years away. It’s important to stay in the present. Kohli and Rohit are both quality players. Hopefully, they have a successful tour in Australia,” Gambhir said.

Kohli lands in Delhi from London ahead of Australia ODIs

Both Kohli and Rohit have been training rigorously ahead of their return. Kohli, fresh off winning his maiden IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, prepared for the series in London before joining the squad. Rohit, meanwhile, trained at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and later at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park under the guidance of Abhishek Nayar. Both Kohli and Rohit arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday morning and will join the team before departing for Australia.

Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.