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Virat Kohli's Retirement Rumour: 3 Stars India Should Groom At No. 3 for 2027 ODI World Cup

Abhinav Tyagi

Riyan Parag and Virat Kohli - (Source : AFP)Riyan Parag and Virat Kohli - (Source : AFP)

In the early hours of Sunday, August 10, the cricket world woke up to the disheartening news that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli might be asked to retire from international cricket after the upcoming ODIs against Australia in October. 

The news sent the internet into a shockwave as it would result in the two veterans missing out on the 2027 ODI World Cup. The reason isn't clear, but it is assumed that following the young brigade's miracle in the England Tests, the management wants young talent to perform at the biggest stage. 

If the rumours are to be true, then this article will shed light on three Indian stars that the management should groom to replace Virat at No.3 for the 2027 ODI World Cup. 

1. Sai Sudharsan

The 23-year-old is the most suitable option to replace Virat Kohli at No.3 as the southpaw has also entered into the scheme of things and is slowly cementing his place across formats.

Why Sai Is The Perfect Replacement?

Consistency: With Sai comes consistency, which is the southpaw's biggest USP. As seen in IPL, the 23-year-old put the cost for his wicket and amassed 759 runs in 15 innings in IPL 2025, averaging an impressive 54.21.

Innings Building: Sai isn't the usual star, who comes and smashes his shots. Similar to Virat, Sai believes in staying on the pitch until the last and can play the perfect anchor play and accelerate when the situation demands him to.

Sai has already made his India debut back in 2023 in ODIs when he faced South Africa. The southpaw has 127 runs in three innings, which includes two fifty-plus scores. Thus, Sai can be a great ODI prospect for the Men in Blue. 

2. Tilak Varma

Another nice prospect going forward for the Men in Blue is Tilak Varma. The 22-year-old has shown a lot of promise in the last few years and proved his worth in the T20I set-up. 

Why Tilak Should Replace Virat?

A Proven Player: Notably, SKY gave up his No.3 spot in T20Is for Tilak Varma, and the MI star didn't disappoint and scored back-to-back centuries against South Africa in the 2024 series. 

At present, Varma is ranked No. 3 in the T20I rankings and has proved that when given an opportunity, he knows how to make full use of it. 

Understands The Situation: Talking about ODIs, Tilak can beautifully play the dual role of an anchor and an accelerator and can be a better power-hitter than Sai Sudharsan. Varma is at present playing in the England One-Day Cup, where he has already smashed a fifty batting at No.3. 

3.Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag is a budding talent, and if given great guidance, he can turn out to be one of the best batters in the coming times.

Why Parag Is A Good Replacement?

Aggressive Style: While Parag may not be an anchor like Sai or Tilak, once Parag goes into the attack mode, there are hardly more beautiful sights than that. Thus, Parag's body language and playing style resonate with Gambhir, who would be more than happy to take the RR star under his wings and groom him for the 2027 World Cup.

Help In Bowling: Further, Parag can roll his arms and bowl the crucial overs. He has played a solitary ODI for India, where he made more noise with the ball than the bat and picked up three wickets on his debut.