Melbourne [Australia], October 13 (ANI): Former Indian head coach said that form will be crucial for veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to keep themselves in contention for a spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 squad as they prepare for the three-match ODI leg of the series against Australia starting from October 19 onwards.

The month of October will witness two of the biggest match-winners in white-ball cricket, Rohit and Virat, make their return to Indian colours for the first time since their ICC Champions Trophy triumph in March in Dubai. With Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain and 'Ro-Ko' not having a proper leadership role, their batting would be crucial for deciding their future in international cricket. With Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh auditioning for the opening role in the recently-concluded unofficial ODIs against Australia A at home, and Tilak Varma presenting a solid outing at number three, even a slight slip-up could raise questions about the batting superstars, who would be 40 and 39 heading into the marquee tournament in 2027.

Shastri admitted that while form would be crucial, there is 'no substitute' for experience in big games as witnessed in the ICC Champions Trophy, where the 'Ro-Ko' stepped with important individual performances against Pakistan, Australia in the semifinal (Virat) and against New Zealand in the final (Rohit).

Shastri was quoted as saying on Fox Cricket, 'That is why they (Rohit and Virat) are here. They are part of the mix, but, again, form is crucial.'

'But there is no substitute for experience when it comes to the big games, as we saw in the Champions Trophy. Come the big games, the big boys step up, so it will be interesting (to see what happens). They have to prove something because they have the young guns nipping at their heels,' he added.

Shastri also highlighted how the star batters would be hungry for runs, having not played for a while for India after announcing their Test retirement ahead of the five-match tour to England, which started India's ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign.

'But they love playing in Australia. They have played some of the best white ball cricket and Test cricket in Australia. I think they will be out there. And they have not played for a while. They have retired from the other formats of the game, so that hunger will be there,' he added.

Rohit is India's fourth-highest run-getter in ODIs, with 11,168 runs in 273 matches and 268 innings, averaging 48.76, including 32 centuries, 58 fifties, and a best score of 264. This year in eight ODIs, Rohit has scored 302 runs at an average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 108.24, with a century and fifty each and a best score of 119.

The 'Hitman' loves playing in Australia, having scored 1,328 runs in 30 ODI matches and innings at an average of 53.12 and a strike rate of over 90, with five centuries and four fifties and a best score of 171*.

Virat, on the other hand, is India's second-highest run-getter in ODIs, with 14,181 runs in 302 matches and 290 innings at an average of 57.88, strike rate of over 93, with 51 centuries and 74 fifties. His best score is 183. In seven ODIs this year, the superstar has made 275 runs in seven innings at an average of 45.83, with a century and two fifties to his name and a best score of 100*.

Virat also has a long-standing love affair with Australian playing conditions, having scored 1,327 runs in 29 ODIs at an average of 51.03 and a strike rate of over 89, with five centuries and six fifties in 29 innings and a best score of 133*.

India's ODI squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)