'Have to play domestic cricket' - Irfan Pathan asks Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for more match time ahead of ODI World Cup

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has shared his opinion on how Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli can prolong their ODI careers with the Indian team, if the duo wants to be a part of the Men in Blue squad that travels to Africa for the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup. Pathan said that maintaining match fitness is extremely important for a cricketer, asking Rohit and Kohli to participate in domestic games for Mumbai and Delhi, their respective sides for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

“Rohit (Sharma) and Virat (Kohli) want to play the 2027 World Cup, but game fitness will be a big challenge for them. Rohit has worked well on his fitness. He is focused on that. But there is regular fitness, and game time fitness… If you are not playing regular cricket, both of them have to ensure some game time. They have to play domestic cricket,” Pathan said in a video on his official YouTube channel on Monday.

“They are big players and know what to do. They have all the experience in the world. But they are not even playing T20Is, so there will be big gaps between the few matches that they play before the big World Cup. They will need regular game time to be fit for that. Only then will their dream to play the 2027 World Cup come true,” he added.

Challenging, but exciting phase for India captain: Pathan

Furthermore, with Shubman Gill having made the ODI captain, the Baroda-born opined that the change in the captaincy for the 50-over squad will bring about an exciting phase in Gill's career. He further stated that the Indian team will be keen to see Gill carrying forward the legacy of Rohit Sharma in One-Day Internationals.

“There is a leadership change, Gill will lead in both formats now. This is a big opportunity but a huge responsibility too. He has to take forward Virat Kohli’s legacy in Test cricket and Rohit’s legacy in white-ball cricket. This is a challenging but exciting phase for him as he is already batting well, he will need to keep that form going,” the Baroda-born said further.