Virat Kohli continues to strengthen his reputation as one of India’s most dependable ODI batters, consistently scoring runs and delivering centuries. However, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes the team cannot depend on Kohli alone if they want to win the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November.

India have considerable batting depth heading into the tournament, with Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan among the players expected to contribute alongside experienced campaigners Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The team also has all-rounders such as Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad provide additional options.

However, questions remain about India’s bowling depth, particularly in the fast-bowling department, where Jasprit Bumrah is currently viewed as the most certain starter.

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Mohammad Kaif expects Rohit and Kohli to perform well in South African conditions but stressed that contributions from the rest of the squad will be essential. “One player will not win you the World Cup abroad; Kohli is the main player, but a lot of others will need to help,” Mohammad Kaif was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

To explain his point, Kaif referred to India’s run to the 2003 ODI World Cup final under Sourav Ganguly. Although Sachin Tendulkar was the standout batter, several teammates played important roles in helping India reach the final for the first time since 1983.

Tendulkar finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 673 runs in 11 innings. Ganguly scored 465 runs, Rahul Dravid accumulated 318 at an average of 63.60, and Virender Sehwag contributed 299 runs. India’s bowling attack also delivered crucial performances. Zaheer Khan claimed 18 wickets, while Javagal Srinath took 16 and Ashish Nehra finished with 15 wickets.

Mohammad Kaif highlighted the importance of those collective contributions, pointing to Yuvraj Singh’s useful runs, Dravid and Sehwag’s batting, and Nehra’s match-winning spell against England. “Tendulkar was our main batter, but if you check the matches, others also contributed,” Kaif said.

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He also praised Ganguly’s leadership and the contributions of India’s senior bowlers, arguing that a successful World Cup campaign requires the entire team to perform. With the 2027 tournament approaching, India will need both their experienced stars and supporting players to deliver consistently if they hope to challenge for the title.