I definitely want Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play World Cup 2027: Amit Mishra

Former Indian spinner Amit Mishra has asserted that he would love to see the Indian talismanic batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play the forthcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2027, in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Speaking exclusively on the MensXP YouTube channel, Mishra stated that India lost the recent Test series to South Africa due to the lack of experience in the team, adding that senior players always take the pressure off.

"I definitely want Rohit and Virat to play (2027 WC). Why did we lose the Test series? Because we did not have enough experience. The way Virat and Rohit made a comeback, they took the pressure off. So it is always the senior players who take that pressure off, and you need them on a big stage,” Amit Mishra said in a podcast on MensXP's YouTube channel. 

“I will not say that keep them even if they don't perform. But if they are performing, then you should have them. It will help the team and the management as well. Their being there will put pressure on the opposition as well. And they will also have to keep working hard and performing to stay in that position. There is definitely a big advantage of seniors being there, but I would want that they keep performing the way they did in this series," he added.

Furthermore, the former spinner also felt that the current Test team will take a while for things to settle in the absence of the veteran players like Ravi Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Moreover, he also talked about the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir.

"Gambhir is a positive man. He is a good coach, not like he isn't. But the one thing is that when the situation is tense, he also gets a lot more tense. He starts thinking a lot. But otherwise, he is a good coach and looks to give his best. He cannot go out there and play, obviously. His job is to tell things. He can do that,” he stated.

“The people playing inside have to handle pressure and do things. When that happens, things will automatically get better. The experience is less right now. It is evident that Kohli's presence is being missed. That experience is not there right now. That is the biggest problem. Otherwise, I do not think there is any issue with the management. It is a new team, so it will take a while for things to settle,” he concluded.

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