Virat and Rohit’s entry in the Indian team for the 2027 ODI World Cup is not guaranteed! Both need to perform in domestic cricket
With the next ODI World Cup coming up in 2027, uncertainty looms large over Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s chances to ensure a berth in the first eleven despite the fact that they have been successful in the format. According to a report from Dainik Jagaran, neither Virat nor Rohit is guaranteed a spot in India’s 2027 ODI World Cup squad. With none of them playing T20Is and Tests, match time in the coming years is also going to be limited. The situation, hence, triggers a big doubt in the minds of the selection committee and the top BCCI bosses. However, the report has also claimed that both Kohli and Rohit would have to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic one-day competition that starts in December this year, if they are to keep themselves in contention for a spot in the ODI World Cup. Without Vijay Hazare Trophy participation, the doors are unlikely to open for them. “Vira Kohli and Rohit Sharma do not fit in our plans for the ODI World Cup 2027,” the report quoted a source from the team management as saying. The report even claimed that the duo wanted to be a part of the England tour but were informed by the selectors that they are unlikely to be picked. Hence, they decided to announce their retirement from the format. With India’s next ODI assignment being against Australia in October, the report claims that the series might see the iconic duo bring curtains to their international careers, as a return to domestic cricket at this stage seems highly unlikely. The success of Shubman Gill, India’s Test captain, in the recently concluded series in England, has also strengthened the selection committee’s belief in him as a long-term skipper. There are many who see Gill as India’s all-format captain in the long run. With many youngsters making their mark in the team, the selectors might just decide to persist with fresh talent for the ODI World Cup in 2027. While transition in T20Is and Tests has been successfully made, the same is expected to be witnessed in the one-day format. The developments, hence, leave Kohli and Rohit in a precarious situation.
Praggnanandhaa’s hilarious anecdote: After listening to the news of triumph over Carlsen, my father said ‘good’ and went back to sleep!
The historic triumph over Magnus Carlsen always becomes special and brings celebration and higher recognition from important people in a country like India. It was no different for chess prodigy R. Praggnanandhaa when he trumped the Norwegian chess king at 16. Praggnanandhaa recently shared a hilarious anecdote of what happened when he defeated Carlsen for the first time in 2022 in an online chess game. It was that game that made Praggnanandhaa a household name in India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar among those who posted congratulatory messages on X. But back in Praggnanandhaa’s own home, the reaction was much more muted. “Since it was 2 am in the night, at that time my parents were asleep. I went and woke my dad up and said, ‘I won’. He said, ‘Good,’ and then he went back to sleep because he had to go to the office the next day,” Praggnanandhaa said on Raj Shamani’s Figuring Out podcast. Asked what he was thinking, Praggnanandhaa said: “I wasn’t thinking anything. I was just playing, and I got my chance out of nowhere. Everything happened in like a few minutes. It was an online rapid game. I was quite happy. “I was just excited, like I wasn’t expecting it, and then suddenly… I mean, the game was also going in a trend where he was putting pressure on me, and then suddenly I got my chance. I had to play some accurate moves, which I did, and I won. So, I was just very happy, and then I also didn’t expect so much reaction from outside after that. So that was also, I think, a good thing for the game. I think it brought more attention,” Pragnanandhaa added. “I was more excited about the fact that I just beat Magnus than the actual game. I didn’t think the game was particularly great or anything like that. I did analyze it later. I realized I didn’t play well. It was like the fifth game of the day or something. We were already tired, and it was obvious that we were not playing our best, but I won, and I think it was important for me back then. It gave me a lot of confidence, and I realized that the top players are not invincible; you can beat them. Until you get that first win, you always feel like they are just in a different world. But once you beat them, you know that it’s possible.
