'Had a long call with Rohit Sharma. He said…': Exit talk killed but Pathan flags World Cup threat even for Virat Kohli

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Tuesday killed the retirement rumours surrounding Rohit Sharma ahead of his expected return to ODI cricket on the tour of Australia next month. He revealed his recent telephone conversation with the India captain, saying that the 38-year-old was keen on playing the World Cup in 2027. However, Irfan flagged a major threat, not just for Rohit but also for Virat Kohli, for the 50-over ICC tournament. Irfan Pathan backed Rohit Sharma for 2027 ODI World Cup

Last month's media report triggered speculation about Kohli and Rohit, saying the tour of Australia might be their final assignment in international cricket. It indicated that neither white-ball mavericks will make the squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

However, just days after Rohit aced the mandatory pre-season fitness test at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, which all but hinted at his selection for the tour of Australia, Irfan revealed that he did have a "long call" with the senior India opener recently, where the latter revealed that he is keen to continue playing cricket for India and that he aims to play in the World Cup in 2027.

"I have been following those fitness tests. This new test (Bronco) is not easy either. Once you clear it, it means that your fitness is top-notch. I also had a long call to learn about his future plans, and he said he is very keen on making sure that he continues playing. This guy has been a fantastic leader, outstanding white-ball cricketer, and ODI cricket great. He is also a great leader. We still go back to that 2023 ODI World Cup final, and it was Rohit who had the biggest heartbreak. But he wants to continue as a player," Irfan told reporters during a discussion arranged by Sony Sports Network, the official broadcaster of the Asia Cup 2025.

'But the challenge will be...'

However, Irfan reckoned that the lack of enough ODI games until the 2027 World Cup will be a major challenge for Rohit and Kohli. India will play 27 ODIs before the tournament, but what bothers Irfan is the dearth of game time outside the format, given that both stalwarts have retired from Tests and T20Is.

"As I said earlier as well, age does not matter if a player is fit. But the challenge will be to have a game time., because there will be a lot of gaps in terms of playing 50-over cricket. There won't be any problem with motivation when it comes to playing for India, be it Kohli or Rohit, or Shami, but what matters is how much cricket they can continue playing cricket and the game time they have, in whatever format. Kohli and Rohit have retired from Tests and T20Is, so this will be the only challenge they have," he said.

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