India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir is hopeful that the veteran duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will perform consistently in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia. Gambhir remained tight-lipped on the pair’s ODI future, stating that the 2027 ODI World Cup is still two years away.

In 2027, Rohit will be 40, while Kohli will be 38. Rohit was replaced by Shubman Gill as India’s ODI skipper recently, keeping the ODI showpiece in mind.

While Rohit has amassed 11,168 runs in 273 ODI matches at an impressive average of 48.77, Kohli has aggregated 14,181 runs in 302 ODI games at a stunning average of 57.88; thus, their records speak for themselves.

“They are quality players, and their experience will be invaluable. With the 2027 World Cup still 2.5 years away, it’s important to stay focused on the present. Kohli and Rohit are both exceptional players, and their return will be a big boost. Hopefully, they have a successful tour, and more importantly, the team comes out with a strong series performance in Australia,” Gambhir said in a post-match press conference.

Kohli and Rohit have all the experience under their belt and they would return to action after last playing in the IPL. The experienced duo hasn’t played professional cricket for a long time, and it would not be easy for them to hit the ground running against a quality opposition like Australia.

India ODI squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal

Australia ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa       

The first ODI between India and Australia will be played at Perth on Sunday.