Ricky Ponting backs Rohit Sharma to feature in 2027 ODI World Cup, says 'he must have that goal'

Ricky Ponting backs Rohit Sharma to feature in 2027 ODI World Cup, says 'he must have that goal'

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Sports, Cricket: Ricky Ponting has backed Rohit Sharma to feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup after leading India to win in the recently concluded Champions Trophy 2025.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed Rohit Sharma to feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup after leading India to win in the recently concluded Champions Trophy 2025. On Sunday, India beat New Zealand in the final of the Champions Trophy to lift a record third title in the coveted ICC tournament. Rohit was instrumental in the final as he scored 76 off 83, helping India clinch the Champions Trophy after 12 years.

Rohit is backed by Ricky Ponting

"When you start getting to that point of your career, everyone's waiting for you to retire. And I don't know why, when you can still play as well as he's played (in the Champions Trophy final), I think he was just trying to put those questions to bed once and for all and say, 'no, I'm still playing well enough. I love playing in this team. I love leading this team.'

"And I think, the fact that he said that, to me, it means that he must have that goal in mind of playing in the next (50-over) World Cup (in 2027)," said Ponting while speaking in the latest edition of the ICC Review.

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The Indian team has been in sensational form in recent times, reaching four ICC finals under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. The Men in Blue lost the 2023 ODI World Cup final to Australia, while the same opposition got the better of them in the World Test Championship (WTC) in the same year. Adding to the impressive showing, India won the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean Islands in June before lifting the Champions Trophy on Sunday.

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By the time the 2027 ODI World Cup kicks off in South Africa, Rohit will be 40, meaning it is highly unlikely that he could be part of the Indian team. However, for now, Rohit has ruled out any possibility of retirement, as stated by Rohit during his post-match press conference on Sunday.

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Parth Seth is a research fellow at India Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, where he studies the themes of development, foreign policy, and multilateralism, particularly in ...Read More