New Delhi: Virat Kohli’s performances, fitness and insatiable appetite for runs have left the Indian selectors in a bit of doubt about his place in the 2027 ODI World Cup plans, but former India wicketkeeper and selector Saba Karim believes Rohit Sharma still has a lot of work to do if he hopes to make the cut.With both Kohli and Rohit retiring from Test and T20 cricket, the 2027 World Cup will be the final chapter in their illustrious international careers. However, Karim feels that the two former captains are in very different positions at the moment.“I think Rohit has to work a lot. He has to work on his fitness level and his batting performance,” Karim told PTI. “I think the selectors will keep a close eye on Rohit’s performance for the next six months to decide whether he can be part of the equation or not.”Virat doesn’t need to prove anythingKarim said that Kohli’s consistency and determination have already convinced the selectors.“For Virat Kohli, I am sure he is fully convinced that he will be a part of the 2027 World Cup setup,” he said. “Because through his performance and fitness level, through his hunger for runs, he has shown all that. So I don’t think Virat needs to prove anything to the selectors at this stage.”“However, Rohit will have to carry a lot of weight if he is to return to the selectors’ World Cup plans,” he added.The contrasting campaigns of IPL 2026 further highlighted the difference. Kohli was instrumental in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title defence, scoring 675 runs at a strike rate of 165.84 with one century and five fifties.Rohit, meanwhile, endured a difficult season as Mumbai Indians finished ninth, managing just 283 runs in nine innings.Kohli’s ability to develop impresses Kareem.Karim praised Kohli’s willingness to reinvent himself even in the latter stages of his career.“If you look at Virat Kohli’s strike rate over the last two to three seasons in T20 cricket, it has increased because he has realized that he has to work hard on his strike rate to be meaningful in T20 cricket,” Karim said.“Now his strike rate is between 170 and 180. Last year it was only 140-150. He is a person who always works on his strengths. Whatever Virat has achieved in Test cricket, in ODI cricket and now in T20 cricket, one can always say that he is one of the best multi-format players we have ever seen”.
