Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (AFP Photo)

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has provided advice to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma regarding their participation in the 2027 ODI World Cup. His suggestion follows chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s announcement of Shubman Gill‘s appointment as ODI captain, replacing Rohit Sharma.Both Kohli and Rohit have stepped away from T20Is in 2024 and Test cricket in early 2025. Currently, they only participate in bilateral ODIs, which have seen a reduction in frequency due to commercial factors, along with the IPL T20 tournament.“Rohit and Virat 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 on his YouTube channel.“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.”The upcoming ODI tour of Australia will mark the beginning of Gill’s captaincy. Following this, India’s domestic season will commence in winter, featuring the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the country’s premier List-A tournament. Neither Kohli nor Rohit has participated in this domestic competition for several years.“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’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,” he added.Shubman Gill’s promotion comes at a significant time as he takes over the leadership role from one of India’s most successful white-ball captains. The transition marks a new era in Indian cricket with fresh responsibilities for the young captain.