Kohli 74, Rohit 0 as India beat New Zealand. Should both play the 2027 World Cup?
India beat New Zealand by five wickets in the rain-hit first ODI at Eden Park today, chasing a revised 143 in just 22.4 overs. Virat Kohli made 74 off 51 balls; Rohit Sharma fell for a first-over duck; and the Player of the Match was a young seamer, Anshul Kamboj, with 2/22 from his 10 overs. Kohli turns 38 tomorrow. Rohit is 39. The next ODI World Cup is a year away, in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The case for - keep them
Knockouts are won by players who have won them before - today Kohli showed he can still run a chase.
One duck proves nothing. Experience of World Cup pressure cannot be coached into a newcomer in a year.
The case against - start the transition now
By the World Cup, Kohli will be 39 and Rohit 40 - fitness and fielding count across a long tournament.
Today's Player of the Match was a young seamer. Every top-order place kept for a legend is a year less for the next batters to settle in before the tournament.
Pick a side: keep Rohit and Kohli for 2027, or build without them? Vote, then say why.
Sources: Yahoo Sports, ESPNcricinfo
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Opinions (2)
Every series spent on legends is a series not spent on the next No. 3. If a young batter debuts six months before the World Cup, India pays for it in the knockouts. Thank them, and start building now.
Look at today's chase: rain, a revised target, an early wicket - and Kohli made 74 off 51 like it was nothing. That calm in a chase can't be taught in a year. In a World Cup knockout, I want him at No. 3.