Former India batsman, and now a renowned commentator, Aakash Chopra opined that the upcoming World Cup 2023 is almost certainly going to be the last ODI World Cup for Indian superstar cricketer Virat Kohli. Although he did say that with Kohli’s fitness, he could have a slim chance of making it into the 2027 ODI World Cup as well, but that seems highly unlikely at the moment.
Virat Kohli will turn 35 in November this year during the World Cup 2023 at home , which will be his 4th ODI World Cup, having been part of the 2011 World Cup winning team.
India announced their 15-man provisional World Cup 2023 squad on Tuesday. Out of that squad, Aakash Chopra feels that only a handful of players – Shubman Gill, Kishan, Shreyas, Siraj, and Bumrah – would be able to make it to the 2027 World Cup given their age. The 2027 WC will be hosted by South Africa and Zimbabwe.
“I think Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj, and maybe Jasprit Bumrah. That’s all I can think of (the 2027 World Cup). Never say never with Virat Kohli, especially given his fitness standards. However, it may be a bit too far and this may be his last ODI World Cup,” Aakash Chopra said in his recent YouTube video.
Dhawan did not do much wrong to miss out: Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also spoke on veteran India opener Shikhar Dhawan missing out on this year’s ICC showpiece event at home. Dhawan, who was one of India’s most successful batsmen in ICC ODI tournaments from 2013 to 2019, last played in an ODI in December 2020. But he then lost his place to Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, both of whom outperformed Dhawan.
Chopra asserted that Dhawan was a bit unlucky to be dropped, but India had to reward Gill and Kishan for their impressive performances, especially with Dhawan’s strike rate suffering a dip.
“Look I don’t think Dhawan did much wrong to miss out. It is just about someone else performing so much better that it was impossible to ignore. They have decided that Shubman Gill is the present and the future of Indian cricket and sometimes that’s the price someone else has to pay. So a bit unfortunate for Dhawan,” the 45-year-old added.
