Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still very fit, hope they play 2027 World Cup: Ross Taylor

Former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor feels Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma must continue till the ODI World Cup 2027 amid speculations of their retirement. Ahead of India’s ODI series against Australia in October 2025, several reports have surfaced claiming that the duo might call time on their ODI career and will not continue till the next World Cup.

While the BCCI have quashed such rumours, the Indian fans fear that the two stalwarts might leave the only format they play as well. Recently, Ross Taylor shared his views on the matter and said that both Rohit and Virat are fit and scoring runs. He also mentioned that the duo has a young family and being away from home for long would be troublesome for the stars.

"Well, you see Virat and Rohit themselves, they’re still very fit, but still scoring runs, so really it's up to them and what they want to do. It's pretty taxing on their body, playing as much cricket as they do. They’re both parents too, they’re spending a lot more time away from home and, kids. The world wants to see them there and hopefully from the world cricket point of view and the Indian cricket point of view, hope they’re both there in 2027,” said Taylor while replying to a query from India Today at Champions League T-10 Noida Trophy launch event.

Taylor also recalled his debut season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and met Virat Kohli for the first time.

“He was a very young 18 to 19-year-old, slightly chubby Virat Kohli. Cameron White said, ‘watch this guy? He's going to be world class’. He looked OK. But he's turned out to be a fantastic player, obviously very loyal to RCB, but also, what he's done to Indian cricket and world cricket has been fantastic. I suppose, I've always had a soft spot because I've seen him grow up from a teenager. So it's obviously it's nice for RCB to get across the line this year and finally win the IPL,” said Taylor.

Kohli was picked from the Under-19 draft by the RCB as he got a great opportunity to rub shoulders along with the legends such as Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Jacques Kallis, amongst others. From there on, Kohli remained loyal to RCB as he’s the only player to play all seasons for a single franchise in the history of the tournament.

The 36-year-old finally realised his dream of winning an IPL title after 18 seasons as RCB beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the 2025 final to claim their maiden title.