As India begins planning for the 2027 ODI World Cup, former cricketer Yuvraj Singh has stressed the importance of consistency in selection, with questions continuing over the futures of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The tournament will be held in October 2027 across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with India targeting their third ODI World Cup title after falling short in the 2023 final. Rohit and Kohli’s presence remains a major talking point after both retired from the other international formats, leaving their ODI futures under focus.
Yuvraj, a key member of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning side, believes the team should avoid making significant changes close to the tournament. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, he called for India to identify a core group and give them regular opportunities over the next year.
“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 said.
He suggested that India should work with a group of around 16 to 20 players and ensure they receive enough game time. With the international calendar increasingly dominated by T20 cricket, Yuvraj pointed out that the limited number of ODIs before the World Cup makes every opportunity important.
“Whoever your players are, whether they are 16 or 20, it’s important that everybody gets game time because obviously now there are more T20s and less 50-over cricket,” he said.
Yuvraj also pointed to India’s previous setbacks at major tournaments, arguing that significant changes close to an event can disrupt a team’s preparation. He believes the players selected for the 2027 campaign should receive sustained backing, irrespective of short-term failures.
“Every time India has faltered is when they’ve made some massive changes at the last moment or in the tournament,” he said.
The former all-rounder also drew parallels with India’s recent T20 World Cup campaigns. India won the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups after building consistency around a particular group of players, according to Yuvraj.
He wants a similar approach in the ODI format, with India first focusing on putting together a squad capable of reaching the semi-finals before turning their attention to the final two matches.
“We have had a lot of consistency in white-ball cricket. And that’s what they need to do as well,” Yuvraj said.
With the 2027 World Cup still a year away, the immediate task for India is therefore to establish a settled group, provide regular opportunities and build clarity around the squad that will eventually travel to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
