By the time 2027 World Cup arrives, Rohit Sharma will be nearing 40 while Virat Kohli will be 38. But that doesn’t bother Irfan Pathan as the former India cricketer felt the lack of game time in 50-over cricket might be a problem for the batting duo. Having come so close to lifting the trophy at home in 2023, both Rohit and Virat had set their sights on the 2027 event set to be played in Africa.

Already ready retired from Tests and T20Is, the Indian greats have ample time nowadays to be mentally and physically fresh. While Kohli is training in the United Kingdom, Rohit recently shed a lot of weight to sport a leaner look, the video of which went viral on social media.

Before the 2027 ODI World Cup, India will play 27 ODIs, but what bothers Pathan is the lack of game time. “As I said earlier as well, age does not matter if a player is fit. But the challenge will be to have a game time, because there will be a lot of gaps in terms of playing 50-over cricket,” Pathan said during a media interaction virtually.

“There won’t be any problem with motivation when it comes to playing for India, be it Kohli or Rohit, or Shami, but what matters is how much cricket they can continue playing cricket and the game time they have, in whatever format. Kohli and Rohit have retired from Tests and T20Is, so this will be the only challenge they have,” he added.

Rohit Sharma puts retirement rumours to rest

The former all-rounder also revealed that he had a long phone call recently with the Indian captain and he is set his sights on the 2027 event. “I also had a long call to learn about his future plans, and he said he is very keen on making sure that he continues playing,” he added.

What’s next for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma?

Both Rohit and Kohli would have been in action in August had India’s tour of Bangladesh not postponed to 2026. That means, the Indian duo will now return to the Indian ODI setup during their tour of Australia in October. India are set to play three ODIs and five T20Is against Australia.