The 2027 ODI World Cup is within a year, and teams around the world have already started their preparations. Team India enjoyed a great campaign in the 2023 edition but suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Australia in the final as well. As Team India gears up to settle old scores, a report has shared details about their potential players and team combinations ahead of the mega event. With star all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy struggling with injuries, the selectors are facing a tough challenge in finding the right balance in the middle order as well.

According to a report in The Times of India, head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill are looking to revamp their ODI setup ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Tilak Varma has emerged as a leading contender for the middle-order spot, and he is being viewed as an alternative to Shreyas Iyer as well. However, Tilak did well under pressure and contributed with the ball too. And his addition could help the team in the bowling department too.

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“Head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill feel there isn’t any backup ready for the middle order. With Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy being prone to injuries, they want someone in the top order who can at least chip in with four overs in an ODI,” TOI quoted a source as saying.

“The team has to be prepared for conditions in South Africa in the World Cup. Iyer got injured in Australia and his game against pace and bounce is untested of late. The team already has two ageing players in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They are having niggles as well. KL Rahul too will be over 35 by the time the World Cup comes around. Ravindra Jadeja isn’t a certainty either. The fielding of the team has suffered due to fitness issues. The team management feels that they need younger backups ready,” the source again said.

However, India will tour New Zealand for a five-match ODI series in October, and the report said that the team’s ODI World Cup planning is expected to gather momentum during that tour only. Before the New Zealand tour, India will face the West Indies in a three-match ODI series starting on September 27. Notably, many senior players are likely to miss the series, as a separate full-strength T20I squad will be taking part in the Asian Games in Japan as well.