As Team India’s preparations for next year’s ODI World Cup begin with the 50-over assignment against Afghanistan, there are plenty of wrinkles that reportedly need to be ironed out. Gautam Gambhir, who has become a highly authoritative figure in Tests and T20Is, has reportedly yet to get into the same zone in ODI cricket. The constant talk around the future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the format has not helped. It has now been reported that some ‘senior players’ in the team have bypassed Gambhir and directly sought clarity over their future for the 2027 World Cup from the top bosses in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Ever since Rohit and Kohli retired from T20Is, doubts have prevailed over their status and plans for the 2027 World Cup. Many feel that Gautam Gambhir’s approach and the selection committee’s demands played a role in the duo’s transition.
During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Kohli made it crystal clear that he is not in a zone where he can be expected to ‘prove himself again’. Rohit, on the other hand, seems to have taken a different approach in ODI cricket, shifting from the selfless style he displayed in India’s Champions Trophy-winning campaign.
According to a report in the Times of India, the Gautam Gambhir-led team management and some of the senior players are yet to be brought onto the same page. At present, the said senior players are in direct contact with BCCI powerhouses over their future, leaving both Gambhir and selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar in a tricky situation.
“With such big players in the team, Gill needs to have a stronger say in the dressing room. Gambhir hasn’t got involved in the planning as intently as he has done in the other two formats. So far, he has let things take their course,” a BCCI source told the paper.
“Now that the focus has shifted to the preparation for the ODI World Cup, one may expect Gambhir and Gill to take charge and firmly communicate their ideas in the dressing room. It is important that the senior players, who have served India with distinction for so many years, are conveyed what role the team expects them to play and the plan for the build-up over the next 16 months,” the report further quoted the source as saying.
With Virat Kohli set to turn 38 in November this year and Rohit already 39, there are question marks over their places in the team for the ODI World Cup. How Gambhir, Gill, and others manage this is going to be key to India’s hopes of bringing the trophy home.
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