Irfan Pathan reveals Rohit Sharma's ODI ambitions

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has dropped massive claims about Rohit Sharma’s plans for his future in ODI cricket.

Rohit and Virat Kohli called time on their T20I careers last year after India won the T20 World Cup 2024.

The two senior Indian cricketers also retired from Test cricket in May this year, just ahead of their five-match away Test series against England.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, however, reaffirmed that they would continue playing ODI cricket.

Fans of the former cricketers were left concerned after Irfan Pathan suggested that Kohli might retire from the 50-over format before the Cricket World Cup 2027.

Kohli would be 39 years old in 2027 while Rohit Sharma will hit 40 in the same year.

Reports also emerged in the Indian media that the country’s cricket board was planning to move on from the two senior players owing to their age and conerns about their fitness.

Read more: Virat Kohli likely to call time on ODI career in 2025: reports

Irfan Pathan has now said that Rohit Sharma wanted to continue playing ODIs until World Cup 2027.

“I had a long chat with him about his future plans. He’s very keen to continue playing. Every player wants that, especially someone like him who has done so well. He’s been a fantastic leader and one of our greatest in white-ball cricket,” the former Indian cricketer said in an interview with an Indian media outlet.

He continued, “We all remember the heartbreak of the 2023 World Cup final, especially for him. Those emotions matter, but he still wants to carry on and make his mark going forward.”

It is worth noting here that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have not played a game for India since their outing in the Champions Trophy 2025 final in March.