Will Rohit and Kohli play 2027 World Cup? 'Stay in the present,' says Gambhir

Are Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still part of India's plans for the 2027 World Cup? The ODI captaincy has passed from Rohit to Shubman Gill, and both Rohit and Kohli are now in their mid-30s and retired from Tests and T20Is. What does their selection for the ODI series in Australia later this month say about their future?

India head coach Gautam Gambhir isn't looking that far ahead.

"Look, 50-over World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away, and I think it is very important to stay in the present," he said in a press conference after India beat West Indies 2-0 in their Test series. "That is very important. Obviously, they are quality players, they are coming back, their experience is going to be a handful in Australia as well. Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour, and more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful series."

As Test and ODI captain and T20I vice-captain, Gill can expect a packed schedule with little scope for taking breaks between series. Gambhir felt he was in a good space to do this.

"First and foremost, I need one," Gambhir joked when asked if Gill could benefit from having a mental-conditioning coach. "I think he is scoring runs, so he does not need any bit of it. So probably I think he is in a good space. I think all of us are in a good space.

"I think when you get the results, you are always in a good space. But if you don't get the results, I think it is my responsibility to keep him and the entire group in a good space. That is my job. Sometimes it is not only about skills, but it is also about the mental aspect of the game as well. Especially guys who are playing all the three formats. It is not only about Shubman, it is about everyone in that dressing room. I have equal responsibility towards everyone."

One of the selections for the Australia tour that has attracted comment from ex-players in the media is that of Harshit Rana, with the fast bowler part of both the ODI and T20I squads. Among those who have commented on the selection is former India captain and chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth, who alleged in his YouTube channel that Rana was only part of the squad because he was Gambhir's yes-man.

"Look, it's a bit shameful. And I will be very honest with you. If you do not spare even a 23-year-old boy to run your YouTube channel, it's unfair," Gambhir said. "Because ultimately [Rana's] father is not an ex-chairman [of selectors] or an ex-cricketer or an NRI. He plays cricket on his own merit. And he will continue to play on his own merit.

"Targeting someone individually is not fair. You can target people's performance. And there are coaches and selectors who target people's performance. But if you say such things to a 23-year-old kid, then social media amplifies it more, and in social media, you are told things in such a way, imagine [what it does to] the mindset [of the player]. In the future, your child can also play cricket, anyone's child can play cricket.

"At least you can realise that he is a 23-year-old kid. He is not 33. Criticise me, I can still handle it. But a 23-year-old boy is a 23-year-old boy. I think that is why we need to be careful. What you say is only to run your YouTube channel. Every one of us has moral responsibility towards Indian cricket. Indian cricket doesn't belong to me, it doesn't belong to people sitting in the dressing room, it belongs to all of you as well. It belongs to every Indian who genuinely wants Indian cricket to do well. Criticise, but do it on performance. Don't do it because you want to target an individual."