Rohit Sharma will use the England tour as a platform to show he'll open for India in the 2027 ODI World Cup, according to Sunil Gavaskar.
The tour starts on July 14.
What happened?
Gavaskar said Rohit knows where he stands to make the cut for the ODI World Cup next year.
Rohit and Virat Kohli will be back in action in a three-match ODI series against England from July 14-19.
Why it matters for Rohit Sharma
Gavaskar thinks the England tour is a very good platform for Rohit to show his skills.
He knows exactly where he stands and all that he needs to do over the next year-and-a-half leading up to the World Cup is to consistently deliver.
What comes next?
The scrutiny for any Indian player never ends, and the senior batters would know they have to keep delivering.
Gavaskar said in case of Rohit and Kohli, the scrutiny will be more on their physical abilities which they both should be able to handle easily.
As you age and come post 35, the scrutiny is more on your physical conditioning and fitness rather than the temperament, Gavaskar said.
With the experience that they have, they'll be able to take care of that quite easily, he added.
Gavaskar expressed his surprise at the timing of England all-rounder Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket.
He thought Stokes would probably retire at the end of the season, play against Pakistan and when the England’s home season ends, that is when he thought Stokes would probably call it a day.
The surprise is only in the timing, a little bit earlier than what Gavaskar thought, he said.
Somebody of Stokes' caliber, quality, and impact not being in the team is always very good for the opposition, Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar is confident that the current batch of white-ball players will be able to leave their legacy with sustained dominance.
There will be a little tweak here and there, surely, but when you look at the core which is going to be there for the next maybe 8-10 years if not more, he said.