Legendary Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya has backed Indian stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to feature in the ICC ODI World Cup 2027. With questions growing over Rohit’s future in 50-over cricket, Jayasuriya believes the experience of the batters could be valuable for India. He feels their presence would help younger players handle pressure and learn how to perform in tournaments.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Corporate Cricket World Cup launch event in Gurugram, Sanath Jayasuriya explained why India could benefit from retaining its senior players. “I think it’s good to have senior players in the team because the young guys can learn from their experience and how to handle the pressure in big tournaments,” Jayasuriya said.
The Sri Lanka head coach pointed out that India has a combination of youth and experience. In his view, having Rohit and Kohli around younger players could provide greater balance and guidance ahead of future World Cups.
“They (Team India) have both youth and experience and are a mixed team. There are a lot of things for youngsters to learn from experienced players. So, I think that is a good thing when you have senior players on the team. Youngsters will learn from them; it is a good mix for future World Cups for India,” he added.
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Rohit and Kohli have both moved into a new phase of their careers. They retired from Test cricket in May 2025 and stepped away from T20I cricket following India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024. The former captains are now focused on ODI cricket, although the limited schedule has created uncertainty over their availability.
Rohit Sharma has featured in three ODI World Cups between 2015 and 2023. His campaign came at the 2019 World Cup in England, where he finished as the leading run-scorer with 648 runs in nine matches, including five centuries and one half-century.
Rohit has scored 1,575 runs in 28 World Cup matches at an average of 60.57. His seven World Cup centuries are the most by any batter in men’s ODI World Cup history. In ODIs, he has accumulated 11,895 runs from 288 matches and 280 innings at an average of 48.95, with 34 centuries and 62 half-centuries.
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Virat Kohli’s record in both ODIs and World Cups is impressive. He is the second-highest run-scorer in men’s ODI World Cup history, with 1,795 runs from 37 matches at an average of 59.83. Kohli has five centuries and 12 half-centuries in the tournament. Kohli has amassed 14,941 runs in 314 matches and 302 innings at an average of 58.59, including 54 centuries and 79 half-centuries.
His record in successful ODI run-chases further underlines his impact. Kohli has scored 6,235 runs in 111 matches and 105 innings while chasing in successful ODIs, averaging 89.07, with 24 centuries and 29 half-centuries. With India building towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, Jayasuriya’s backing adds another voice to the discussion surrounding Rohit and Kohli’s future in the 50-over format.
