India’s 1983 Cricket World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev stated that India head coach Gautam Gambhir need not have much of a say in Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s inclusion for the 2027 World Cup. With just over a year to go till the World Cup, there is still no certainty over their spots in India’s squad for the tournament. The Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee has remained non-committal on the matter, while there have also been reports and rumours of tension between the veterans and head coach Gautam Gambhir. But legendary India skipper Kapil maintained a clear stance on the topic.
Kapil made it clear that it is the task of the selectors to take the call regarding Kohli and Rohit’s place in India’s 2027 World Cup squad. After the selectors, the captain should be consulted, and only after them the coach, Kapil opined.
“Look, management isn’t the main thing. There are five selectors. If their thought process is right, that’s what matters,” Kapil told Sports Tak, when asked about the Gautam Gambhir-led team management potentially not wanting Kohli or Rohit.
“First, there are five selectors. Then you go to the captain to ask, and then you go to the manager to understand their thought process. But first, if the five selectors have decided that he is good enough, then you don’t need to go to the captain or the manager. If the selectors are doing their job properly, then it’s fine,” Kapil explained
Kohli will be almost 39, while Rohit will be 40, by the time the 2027 World Cup comes around. Kapil said that a bad patch of form at such an age could be costly.
“I don’t know what the selectors’ thought process is. Sometimes people say, how can a 25-year-old retire? But they do. And if you’re fit, if you have the ability, if you can play at 39 or 40, why not? If your performance is there, then don’t count age.
“The problem with age is if you hit a bad patch, the public and everyone will say, ‘his time is up’. But if the same bad patch happens to a 20-year-old, people say, ‘no problem, time will come, he’ll come back’,” Kapil elaborated.
For now, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma remain integral parts of India’s ODI setup, and are set to feature in their upcoming three-match series against England.
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