Harbhajan Singh says team management shouldn’t sideline Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for ODI World Cup

Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said the selectors and team management shouldn’t sideline Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the ODI World Cup 2027. Instead, the Turbanator wants the team’s think tank to build the team around the veteran duo.

Kohli aggregated 302 runs in three games of the series at an average of 151 and a strike rate of 117.05, including two centuries and one fifty. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma scored 146 runs in three games at an average of 48.67 and a strike rate of 110.61. 

Kohli and Rohit have all the experience under their belt and they would look to keep up the good show.

Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube Channel, “Are there bigger and better players than Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli? So you shouldn’t sideline them but instead think about how to build the team around them. If you lose experience in the pursuit of youth, then it can be a problem from time to time in big matches. So they must play and this will be a big World Cup because after that, it’s possible they’ll never play another World Cup.”

“The way Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are batting and how the batting order looks with them, it looks so solid that they should play.They will maintain their fitness. But the questions about whether they will or should play the World Cup, it’s okay to look towards the younger players but don’t ignore the players who are already proven performers with the ability to deliver in big matches.”

The former Punjab spinner said Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should be the first two names on India’s squad for the ODI showpiece.

“In the last World Cup also, they missed it in the final, with the pitch being very slow. If there was a bitter pitch, India would have won. There was a lot of pressure, which is why Australia played better than India and won. But the way India played under Rohit Sharma was unbelievable. So the first two names should be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and the rest of the team should be formed after that,” said Harbhajan (via the aforementioned source).

India’s next ODI assignment is the three-match series against New Zealand.