Gavaskar tells BCCI to write Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli's names ‘straight in’ for World Cup: ‘No matter what happens now’

While speaking to India Today after India’s nine-wicket win in Sydney in the third ODI. The former Indian captain pointed to both the duo’s decision and their class under pressure.

Gavaskar wants Kohli, Rohit in WC 2027

"The moment they made themselves available for this trip, it was clear they want to be there for the 2027 World Cup,” Gavaskar remarked. “And irrespective of what happens between now and then, whether they score runs or not, with the ability and experience they possess, if they are available, they will be certainties in the squad,” said Gavaskar. He doubled down on the point, “With this kind of rhythm, you can write their names straight into the World Cup squad for South Africa 2027.”

Gavaskar’s comments arrived on the back of a vintage show from India’s two most senior pros at the SCG. Rohit signed off the series with a fluent century while Kohli, after two ducks earlier in the week, anchored the nine-wicket win with an unbeaten 74 as the pair stitched an unbeaten partnership of 168 runs to avoid a whitewash. The performance and the partnership’s authority turned a tricky chase into a routine finish and reignited conversations around the presence in the 2027 WC.

Gavaskar’s take also serves as a sharp pivot from the mixed noise of the last few weeks, when multiple voices questioned whether the veterans should be managed conservatively between now and the marquee tournament. The batting legend, however, framed selection not as nostalgia but as a calculation of bankable quality. The class of the players that should override intermittent from cycles provided they remain available and fit.

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