No one can replace him in ODIs: Ambati Rayudu backs Rohit Sharma to captain India in 2027 World Cup

Former India batter Ambati Rayudu has heaped huge praise on Rohit Sharma, backing him to continue leading India till the 2027 ODI World Cup. Rayudu feels Rohit's experience as a batter and his leadership qualities make him an invaluable asset for India in ODIs. The 38-year-old has already retired from T20Is and Tests for India, but is still the designated captain in ODIs.

After his retirement from Tests and T20Is, there are questions about Rohit's future in ODIs for India, however, Rayudu feels no one can replace the senior batter in the 50-over format. The former middle-order batter said Rohit's batting, his captaincy and the confidence are important for India if they are to fancy their chances of winning the 2007 ODI World Cup.

Rayudu feels that having Rohit as captain will give India the best chance of winning their third ODI World Cup crown. Rohit helped India bring an end to their over a decade-long ICC trophy drought by leading the team to a memorable victory in T20 World Cup last year. India also won the Champions Trophy title earlier this year under Rohit's captaincy.

"You need to look at who can win you the World Cup. If Rohit’s captaincy can do that, then he should continue till 2027. There is no one who can replace Rohit in ODIs; his captaincy, his batting & the confidence he gives to players are all extremely important – Rohit must be the captain in the 2027 World Cup," Rayudu said during an interview on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel.

The 2027 ODI World Cup is scheduled to be played in October-November and will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Two-time champions and last edition's runners-up India will enter the tournament as favourites. Rohit will be 40 by the time the 2027 ODI World Cup gets underway, and it remains to be seen if he will be part of India's plans for the showpiece event. 

Under Rohit's captaincy, India enjoyed a phenomenal campaign in the last edition of the tournament in 2023. India made it to the final unbeaten before going down against Australia in the summit clash in Ahmedabad to miss out on the title. India have since won back-to-back ICC titles by clinhcing the T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025 trophies.

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Rohit Sharma is currently away from action, with no ODI series lined up for India. Having retired from Tests, he was not part of the recently concluded Test series between India and England, and will also not be part of the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which is set to be played in T20I format. Rohit will return to action for India in October this year.

India are set to play a three-match ODI series on their tour of Australia in October, and Rohit is expected to make a comeback in the series alongside Virat Kohli, who has also retired from both Tests and T20Is. India will play three ODIs followed by three T20Is in their tour of Australia.