Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has backed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s participation for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Kohli and Rohit have both shown interest to play the next year’s ODI showpiece in South Africa and Namibia.

The veteran duo have also performed consistently in the 50-overs format since calling it a day from Test and T20I format. Kohli has scored 542 runs in 13 matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 54.20 and a strike rate of 164.74.

Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, has amassed 283 runs in eight matches of the ongoing season at an average of 40.43 and a strike rate of 160.79.

“I can see them pushing ahead and trying to get there. One thing I’ve always said about champion players is you never say no. You never write them off. Virat’s been a good example of that again through this IPL. He’s not playing as much international cricket as he once was, but that determination and want to win is still there. Rohit Sharma has turned up at this IPL in better physical condition than I’ve seen him probably in about 10 or 12 years. So the passion is still there for those guys to push on and make themselves the best players they can be. So like I said, you never say never,” Ponting said to PTI.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli recently reiterated his commitment to play in the ODI World Cup next year.

“We’re in mid-2026. I have been asked many times, ‘Do you want to play in 2027?’ Why would I leave home, get my stuff over and be like ‘I don’t know what I want’,” Kohli spoke during an interview on the RCB podcast.

“Of course, if I’m playing, I want to play cricket, I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing.”

India’s next home ODI assignment is against Afghanistan in June, following which the team will also play three ODIs against England in July.