India have just won the T20 World Cup 2026 under Suryakumar Yadav and the next ICC tournament that is lined up is the ODI World Cup next year in South Africa. The preparations have already started for the same with the team management looking to make a stable squad.
Former India spinner R Ashwin has said that Rohit Sharma along with Virat Kohli can open the innings followed by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer at number three and four. Interestingly, Ashwin didn’t name the ODI skipper Shubman Gill in his top four.
“You will be playing ODI World Cup in 2027. Shreyas Iyer plays at number four while the management can also try Ruturaj Gaikwad. I don’t know who will open but in this case, why not Virat (Kohli). He opens in the T20s. If he can open the batting with Rohit then, Ruturaj and Shreyas can also come into the mix,” Ashwin said on YouTube.
Gill is the designated captain in Tests and ODIs. The right-handed batter didn’t find a place for himself in the T20I squad that won the World Cup but is a mainstay as far as ODIs and Tests are concerned.
🚨 Ravichandran Ashwin on YouTube:
Ashwin said, “If Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli open in the 2027 World Cup, then Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer can bat at No. 3 and 4.”
Bro casually removed captain Shubman Gill from the XI. 😭🔥 pic.twitter.com/BjuO2ElXVO
— Abhishek Kumar (@Abhishek060722) March 14, 2026
Shubman Gill in ODIs
Shubman Gill has played 61 ODIs for India where he has scored 2953 runs at an average of over 55. He has been scoring runs at a strike-rate of 99.02 in the format for India. Moreover, he has notched up eight hundreds including a double century and 17 fifties.
In the last ODI series against New Zealand, he had a couple of fifties to his name in the three-match series.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Recent Form in List A
Virat Kohli had a couple of forgettable outings in Australia before he returned to form and smashed a half-century. The flamboyant batter then followed it with two tons against South Africa at home and a fifty to conclude the three-match series. He then returned to play Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi and scored 131 against Andhra and 77 against Gujarat.
India then faced New Zealand in a three-match tie where Kohli continued his sublime touch and smashed 93 and 124 in the first and the final match respectively. He also scored 23 in the second.
Rohit, on the other hand, scored 73 and 121* on Australian tour while got two fifties against South Africa. He also returned to play for Mumbai in Vijay Hazare Trophy and struck a hundred against Sikkim while gout out for 0 against Uttarakhand. Sharma had a bit of disappointing run against the Kiwis where he could only manage 26, 24 and 11.
Covering sports for fun. Cricket in whites remains the first love—the kind that teaches patience, rewards nuance, and tells stories over five days rather than five seconds.
