'The 50-over World Cup is still two and a half years away. It is very important to stay in the present.'
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are keen on playing the 2027 ODI World Cup but India head coach Gautam Gambhir was non-committal over the star duo's future on Tuesday, saying the ODI World Cup is still more than two years away and "it is important to stay in the present".
With Shubman Gill's appointment as the ODI skipper, the national selectors have already hit the transition button in ODI cricket and there is a lot of doubt over the future of the ageing stalwarts who will be 39 (Kohli) and 40 (Rohit) respectively in 2027.
"The 50-over World Cup is still two and a half years away. It is very important to stay in the present. Obviously they are quality players. They are coming back. Their experience is going to be valuable in Australia.
"Hopefully those two guys can have a successful tour, and more importantly, as a team we can have a successful series," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference when asked about the future of the two former skippers.
It is believed that a lot will depend on how the duo plays in the nine ODIs in the next couple of months (3 vs Australia, 3 vs SA and 3 vs NZ).
In an interview to PTI on Monday, former India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel has no doubt that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are both working hard in the nets like they have always done but with the ODI World Cup still two years away, the challenge would be to remain match-fit.
"Two years is a long time and especially if you see there aren't too many ODI games. Like earlier times when there used to be 20-25 games a year, you get on a roll and before you know two years passed by.
"But it is a different challenge and we are also new to this kind of a challenge. The challenge is to keep themselves match-fit."
Parthiv feels that if the duo plans to play Vijay Hazare games in between the South Africa and New Zealand ODIs, it will only help them stay in the groove.
"I would definitely feel that they should play Vijay Hazare Trophy. It is not about setting an example like 'We have made Kohli and Rohit play Vijay Hazare'. That's not how I would like to think.
"Playing Hazare Trophy will help their own game and that in turn will help the Indian cricket team."