Had India won the 2023 ODI World Cup, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma most likely would have retired from all formats of the game, but the hunger to win the ODI World Cup - the pinnacle of white-ball cricket- has kept them going.

India will only play a handful of ODIs before the World Cup 2027, so staying fit and motivated will be a tough ask for the veterans. Former India captain and ex-BCCI President Sourav Ganguly pointed out the challenges the legends might face and said the road to the ODI World Cup won't be easy for the two stalwarts.

“It won’t be easy, fifteen games a year. I’ve got no advice. I think they know the game as much as I do, and they (Rohit & Virat) will make their own decisions. But all of us must understand that, like everyone else, the game will eventually move on from them, and they will move on from the game,” Ganguly told PTI in an interaction.

Ganguly further said that Virat Kohli would have scored a lot of runs in England had he delayed his retirement. Kohli announced his retirement from the format weeks before the India tour of England. He was going through a lean run, and the poor show in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy pushed him towards a premature retirement.

“Retirement should happen when people ask ‘Why?’ and not ‘Why not?’ As a player, you always know your place. He knew he didn’t have the best of 5 years in Tests but champions like him find ways to rediscover themselves. If Virat was on this England tour, I’m confident he would’ve scored heavily. But he felt it was time to go,” Ganguly said.

India's ODI Schedule Till World Cup 2027

• Bangladesh vs India, August 2025 – 3 ODIs (August 17-23)*
• Australia vs India, October 2025 – 3 ODIs (October 19-25)
• India vs South Africa, Nov-Dec 2025 – 3 ODIs (November 30-December 6)
• India vs New Zealand, January 2026 – 3 ODIs
• India vs Afghanistan, June 2026 – 3 ODIS
• India vs West Indies, September 2026 – 3 ODIs
• New Zealand vs India, Oct-Nov 2026 – 3 ODIs
• India vs Sri Lanka, December 2026 – 3 ODIs