By Sahil Kohli
Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 5 : Former Indian cricketer Maninder Singh expressed his thoughts on India's ODI stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, saying that while worries around their form and reflexes will be there as the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup still has a lot of time, they are nonetheless "champions players" who have a lot of mental strength and match-winning ability in them.
The ODI leg of the England tour, starting from July 14 onwards, consisting of three matches, will bring back the festive feel in Indian cricket that Rohit and Virat bring as ODI-exclusive players with very limited time left in their international careers. Each appearance made by these legends post the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy win has been under scrutiny as they will be heading into the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup in October-November next year, aged 40 and 38, respectively. Despite all the scrutiny, rumours and speculations about their future, the iconic 'Ro-Ko' pair continue to display their relentless discipline and hunger in the form of consistent runs and great levels of fitness.
However, Rohit's hamstring struggles in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a brief form dip in ODIs raised some questions about his future, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings. Virat, who looks in a much better place form-wise and also secured his second back-to-back title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), also came under a bit of scrutiny after sustaining a hamstring injury in the IPL finals, which caused him to miss the home ODIs against Afghanistan in June. He has been included in the England ODI squad, and his inclusion in the playing XI is subject to fitness. Virat is reportedly on track to have a prominent role in the series, having undergone a fitness Test in Bengaluru at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence.
Speaking to ANI, Maninder said that while he is not really worried about Virat due to his high level of fitness and sky-high intensity levels even during a practice session, but a bit worried about Rohit as his performances "go up and down".
"As far as Virat Kohli is concerned, his fitness level is very high. And Rohit is also working in that direction. But somewhere I feel there's still time for the World Cup, and as you said, we wonder if they will be able to catch form by then, maintain form until then, this is a matter of worry, no doubt about it. Because as your age increases, your reflexes start slowing down. I am not so worried about Virat Kohli because he works so much on his fitness, he is so passionate about the game, his practice sessions... I've seen him doing them, he plays in practice sessions as if he is playing a match," he said.

"There is a bit of worry sometimes for Rohit because his performance goes up and down. So if you think about these two players, worries will be there because there is time for the World Cup. But they are champions, and you only become a champion when you are mentally strong, and mental strength is very important in international cricket. Let's see how they perform in the coming time. But let us hope they perform well because they are both such players who are match-winners, impact players; when they get going, they win matches for their team," he signed off.
Virat was seen struggling while running during the final stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL) final against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at Ahmedabad, but took the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a tricky 156-run chase with a 42-ball 75* last May.
Virat finished the IPL as the fourth-highest run-getter and RCB's top-scorer with 675 runs in 16 innings at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84, with a century and five fifties, with the best score of 105*.
The 37-year-old veteran is one of the greatest ODI batters ever and is the second-highest run-getter in the format with 14,797 runs in 299 innings at an average of 58.71, with 54 centuries, the most by a batter and 77 fifties. His best score is 183.
Virat is an ODI-exclusive player now, having retired from T20Is after the T20 World Cup title win in 2024 and from Tests last year in May before the start of the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Since last year, the veteran has smashed 891 runs in 16 matches at an average of 68.53 and a strike rate of 98.45, with four centuries and five fifties in 16 innings, with a best score of 135. He also played a crucial role in India's ICC Champions Trophy win last year.
Since last year's Australia tour, which started his journey as an ODI-exclusive batter, he has cracked 616 runs in nine matches and innings at an average of 88 and a strike rate of 106.39, with three centuries and three fifties. In his most recent ODI outing earlier this year against New Zealand, he was India's top scorer with 240 runs in three matches at an average of 80.00, with a century and a fifty each.
On the other hand, in nine IPL matches this year, Rohit has scored 283 runs at an average of 35.37 and a strike rate of 1576.22, including two fifties and a best score of 84. He missed a chunk of action due to a hamstring injury. His ODI form has been shaky this year, scoring 204 runs in six ODIs at an average of 34.00, with a half-century and best score of 79, with a strike rate of 100. The series against Afghanistan saw him score 16, 48 and 79.
Rohit is India's third-highest ODI run-getter, with 11,720 runs in 285 matches and 277 innings at an average of 48.83 and a strike rate of 92.97, with 33 centuries and 62 fifties, including a best score of 264.
Since last year, Rohit has scored 854 runs in 20 innings at an average of 44.94, with a strike rate of 100.35, with two centuries and five fifties, including a best score of 121* and a match-winning 76 in the ICC Champions Trophy final.