The Board of Control for Cricket in India president Mithun Manhas has shed light on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s future for the ODI World Cup. Manhas said the final call rests with the selectors and the coaches but he reckons the fitness and form should be selection criteria for the veteran batters and not age.
There have been doubts raised on Rohit Sharma’s place in the recent past but the right-hander has let his bat do all the talking. He recently scored 225 runs in three ODI matches against the West Indies whereas Kohli has been in terrific form in the recent past. Kohli scored a magnum opus knock of 139 runs in the series opener against the Windies.
“As far as the BCCI is concerned, we are not in a position to comment because it all depends on the selectors and the coaches. But from how I look at it, fitness and performance should be the criteria for selection, and definitely not age,” Manhas said in an interview with Sportstar.
“If somebody is fit to play, and you see him performing and winning games for the country, that is the only criterion we should focus on,” he added.
Manhas added that having experienced players like Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will definitely help the Indian team. Pandya is currently recovering from an injury.
“Having Virat, Hardik, and Rohit in the side will definitely help him. Then there are the likes of Bumrah, who could lead, who can be the bowling captains, and then somebody who will be the fielding captain. So, it is all about the distribution of workload,” Manhas said.
“They have been under pressure, and they have delivered so many times in crunch situations. So, it is a good combination,” he added.
India will begin their ODI World Cup campaign against Australia on October 7, 2027, in Cape Town.
