Suresh Raina believes India will have a 90 percent chance of winning the 2027 ODI World Cup if veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain part of the team for the marquee tournament in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Raina’s comments came after former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh called for consistency in India’s ODI setup and urged the team management to avoid making too many changes ahead of next year’s World Cup. Speaking about Yuvraj’s advice, Raina backed the experience of Rohit and Kohli and highlighted their record of winning major trophies for India and in the IPL. “Virat wants it. I think this time we are playing the World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
I think if both of them stay, there is a 90% chance of winning the World Cup,” he added. Raina also referred to India’s defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Cup final, saying the team would have added motivation when it returns to South Africa for the 2027 edition. Rohit and Kohli have both been named in India’s 15-member ODI squad for the upcoming three-match home series against the West Indies, with Shubman Gill set to lead the side and KL Rahul appointed vice-captain.
“Especially when we lost in South Africa in 2003, we have to take revenge for that as well,” Raina said. “They need to focus on building the same team to play in a year’s time, because you don’t want to make big changes at the last moment,” Yuvraj told Cricinfo.
Yuvraj had earlier stressed the importance of giving a settled group enough game time before the World Cup, with India having limited ODI fixtures between now and the tournament.
