'They played well in Australia, in bouncy and quick conditions. I do not see a reason why they should not go to the 2027 World Cup.'
In the three match ODI series against South Africa, which India won 2-1, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma delivered performances that emphatically silenced their doubters while reaffirming their status as irreplaceable pillars of the team.
Kohli hit two centuries and a half-century to be named Player of the Series whereas Rohit scored 57 and 75 in the first and third games, reminding fans and critics alike that there is no substitute for experience and class.
Their splendid show with the willow was a rebuttal to criticism that had grown louder of late, feels Ravichandran Ashwin.
'They have been playing so well. What else do you want? They played well in Australia, in bouncy and quick conditions. I do not see a reason why they should not go to the 2027 World Cup,' Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat.
'The fact that Rohit has worked on his fitness and come back, so props to him. The fact that Virat is batting as well as he is also shows the kind of work both of them have put in. The fact that both of them have to prove is itself a laughable thing. What do they need to prove?'
Ashwin termed Kohli's 'no-look six' against Corbin Bosch and Rohit's front foot pull over mid-wicket against Lungi Ngidi as the shots of the series.
Kohli ended as the top run-getter in the series with 302 runs at an average of 151.00 and a strike rate of over 117. Rohit has tallied 148 runs in three innings at an average of 48.66 and a strike rate of over 110.
The duo ended 2025 as India's top run-getters in ODIs, with Kohli amassing 651 runs in 13 matches at an average of 65.10, with three centuries and four fifties. His best score is a 120-ball 135, which came during the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur.
Rohit mustered 650 runs in 14 innings at an average of 50.00 and a strike rate of over 100, including two centuries and four fifties and a best score of 121 not out.
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