Rohit Sharma has signalled that he intends to keep playing ODI cricket with his eyes firmly on the 2027 World Cup, describing his journey in the 50-over format as unfinished business.Speaking to JioStar ahead of India's three-match ODI series against the West Indies, the veteran batter said thoughts of retirement simply do not enter his mind while he is still playing. "The thought will never cross my mind that the business I had is finished. As long as you're playing, there is always something to look forward to. And I'm looking forward to the World Cup, looking at what lies ahead for me," he said.
The ICC challenge
Rohit, who has retired from Test and T20I cricket, explained why an ICC tournament demands something different from bilateral series. "When the World Cup is played, when we play an ICC tournament, it has its own unique challenge, because you face different opponents, you play at different venues. So, you have to prepare differently, think in a different way and that is the challenge," he said.
Unfinished business in ODIs
The 2027 edition, scheduled from October 4 to November 21 and jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, represents a trophy Rohit has never won. He led India to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup as captain, where Australia defeated India in Ahmedabad. His ODI World Cup journey began in 2015, and he was one of the stars of the 2019 edition with five centuries. Across 288 ODIs, he has amassed 11,895 runs at an average of 48 with a strike rate of 93, including 34 centuries — and he remains the only batter in history with three double-centuries in the format, crowned by his record 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014.
A contrasting answer from Kohli
His comments arrived in the same interview round in which Virat Kohli confirmed the 2027 tournament will be his last World Cup for India. Rohit stopped short of naming 2027 as a definite endpoint, making clear that as far as he is concerned, the journey is not over.
The West Indies series begins with the first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, followed by matches in Guwahati and New Chandigarh — the opening phase of India's build-up toward 2027.
Sources:
'Business I had is finished...' - Rohit Sharma's HUGE statement on playing Cricket World Cup 2027 — Khel Now
Rohit Sharma Shuts Down Retirement Rumours, Targets ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 As 'Unfinished Business' — LatestLY