Harbhajan Singh believes Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should be automatic selections for the 2027 ODI World Cup, using Lionel Messi’s performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026 as evidence that age is irrelevant when skill and fitness remain intact.
“If Lionel Messi can continue playing, why can’t Kohli and Rohit? Whoever the player is, I believe the marker should be performance, not age.”
Harbhajan Singh, PTI interview, August 2026
Harbhajan spoke to PTI days after India’s ODI series in England, where both Kohli and Rohit showed they remain among the most dangerous batters in the format. Kohli entered the series needing 203 runs to become the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to reach 15,000 ODI runs. He had already scored 302 runs in India’s 2-1 series win over South Africa in late 2025, earning the Player of the Series award with two centuries and a fifty.
Rohit’s case was even more pointed. After scores of 11 and 26 in the first two ODIs in England, amid reports that selectors had told him he was not in their plans for the 2027 World Cup, he responded with 138 off 110 balls at Lord’s, becoming the first Indian to score an ODI century at the venue. His 34th ODI hundred included 17 fours and five sixes.
Harbhajan went further with the Messi parallel, making a specific case about physical dominance.
“Virat may be 39, but if he is still beating those 20-year-old guys on the field, it does not matter. Look at Lionel Messi. At 40 (39), five men fail to stop him. If a player has that kind of fitness and skill where even five opponents can’t keep him at bay, then we know that skill always takes precedence.”
Harbhajan Singh, PTI interview, August 2026
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Messi turned 39 during the group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and captained Argentina to the final, where they lost 1-0 to Spain in extra time. It was his sixth World Cup appearance. He continues to play for Inter Miami in the MLS, scoring 12 goals in 14 games this season.
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The Messi comparison is flattering, but it does not survive contact with how cricket actually works. Football allows a 39-year-old forward to conserve energy across 90 minutes. He picks his moments, walks between sprints, and teammates cover the defensive work. Messi at Inter Miami and even in the World Cup does not press, does not track back, and does not need to. The game lets him manage his body.
Cricket does not offer that luxury. An ODI day lasts eight hours. A batter who scores a century spends three to four hours at the crease under sustained physical and mental pressure, running between wickets, facing pace at 145 kph, and staying switched on for every delivery. Then he fields for 50 overs. Across a 46-day World Cup, that cycle repeats every few days with travel, heat, and recovery windows that shrink as the tournament progresses. The physical toll on a 39-year-old cricketer is not comparable to a footballer who plays 90 minutes with rest days between matches. Harbhajan’s argument holds if the question is about batting talent alone. It weakens when you factor in the full demands of an ODI tournament.
What Ganguly and de Villiers Have Said About the Same Question
Not everyone shares Harbhajan’s certainty. Sourav Ganguly has said Kohli and Rohit are “not certainties” for the 2027 World Cup and insisted that their continued selection depends on fitness and consistent performance. Ganguly also stated that both players need to play domestic cricket if they want to remain in contention.
AB de Villiers took a more balanced position, saying there is “no guarantee both will be there” while also acknowledging that India needs their experience in big tournaments. De Villiers suggested that the appointment of Shubman Gill as ODI captain was partly driven by the reality that Kohli and Rohit may not be available.
Both Kohli, who will be 39 during the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, and Rohit, who will be 40, have made it clear they intend to play. Rohit said after his Lord’s century that he “really wants that trophy.” Kohli has not publicly addressed retirement questions but has shown through his ODI-only commitment that the World Cup is his focus.
The selection debate will not be settled by statements from former players. It will be settled by what Kohli and Rohit do on the field between now and the squad announcement. Harbhajan is right that performance should be the marker. The question is whether two players approaching 40 can sustain that performance across a full World Cup cycle.
Sources:
[PTI interview, August 2026] Harbhajan Singh, PTI
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