The age of Rohit Sharma is 37. He will be 39 years old when the next World Cup, the T20 World Cup in 2026, occurs. Therefore, it’s likely that the 2026 T20 World Cup will be his final opportunity to experience World Cup triumph. In all, Rohit has participated in 11 World Cups: eight T20s and three ODIs. He has won the championship trophy once, during India’s 2007 T20 World Cup victory. He narrowly missed out in the semi-finals in 2015, 2016, and 2019, and again narrowly missed out last year.
Although Rohit still has a strong desire to play till the South African World Cup in 2027, his willpower is insufficient to accomplish the task. A player’s longevity is mostly determined by his or her form and level of fitness. In Indian cricket, historically, once a player reaches the age of forty, the consensus is that he is far past his peak. Fingers were pointed at Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni for their inconsistent form, even though they played till 40 and 39, respectively. And Rohit bears that risk as well, if he intends to play in another World Cup after this.
That being said, Yuvraj Singh’s father, Yograj Singh, has urged the BCCI to reconsider Rohit Sharma’s eligibility for as long as his form and fitness remain intact, rejecting the idea that age is a determining factor. Yograj, who represented India in one Test and six ODIs between 1980 and 1981, thinks that Rohit is one of the few players—like Virender Sehwag—for whom fitness has never been a deciding factor and that the captain of the team can play for India till he is 50.
“This discussion about age, that someone is this old… It’s something I’ve never understood. If you are performing and you are fit at forty, forty-two, or even forty-five, what’s wrong? People in our nation tend to think that beyond the age of forty, you’re elderly and should stop having children. The fact is, you’re not done yet,” Yograj stated in an interview with Sports18.
“Mohinder Amarnath, who was 33 when he won the World Cup for India, was 38 years old. In the end, he was named Player of the Match. Therefore, I believe that the age element should be eliminated permanently from Indian cricket. Two such outstanding players who have never given training and fitness any thought are Rohit Sharma and Viru [Virender Sehwag]. He can play till he is 50 if he does.
As captain and a player, Rohit has a lot riding on the next eighteen months. India’s next major task after the T20 World Cup is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, for which they will trip Australia at the end of this year to play five Test matches. If India makes it through qualifying, the Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship final are scheduled for the following year. Both the 2027 and 2026 World Cups are now too far in the future to be crossed. With 349 runs from 13 games, Rohit is currently in the midst of a form slump. If India is to have a chance in the World Cup, Rohit needs to find his groove again.
