Ricky Ponting stated that he can see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli pushing ahead and that the duo cannot written off, especially after what they have done for the Indian team over the years
Published: May 22, 2026 6:38 PM IST
Former Australia captain and current Punjab Kings head coach, the legendary Ricky Ponting has backed two India greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to continue playing cricket until the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Ponting made this comment in a recent interview with the Press Trust of India.
Of late, there has been plenty of speculations around Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s future in India’s ODI setup. The duo, currently on Indian Premier League 2026 duty, will be assessed in terms of fitness as well as performance over the next 12 months or so.
Virat and Rohit’s selection will largely depend on how the duo will perform across all the one-day matches scheduled for this year. The Indian team is slated to play bilaterals against Afghanistan, England and West Indies.
At the turn of 2027, India will take on Zimbabwe in another 3-match ODI series, meaning both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have enough matches to get into the correct frame of mind and perform at their level best by the time World Cup arrives.
Ponting says ‘never say never’
While speaking to PTI recently, Ricky Ponting stated that he can see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli pushing ahead and that the duo cannot written off, especially after what they have done for the Indian team over the years.
Ponting mentioned that both Virat and Rohit might not be playing enough international matches nowadays but they are still determined and passionate about generating results in favor of whichever teams they play for.
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“I can see them pushing ahead and trying to get there. One thing I’ve always said about champion players is you never say no. You never write them off. Virat’s been a good example of that again through this IPL. He’s not playing as much international cricket as he once was, but that determination and want to win is still there.” – Ricky Ponting told PTI.
When asked to comment on whether the duo will be able push themselves till the 2027 Cricket World Cup, Ricky Ponting placed full belief in them.
“Rohit Sharma has turned up at this IPL in better physical condition than I’ve seen him probably in about 10 or 12 years. So the passion is still there for those guys to push on and make themselves the best players they can be. So like I said, you never say never.”
