19 September,2026 10:15 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad (Pic: File Pic)
The ODI World Cup 2027 is set to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that there will be a toss-up between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad for Team India's reserves for the ODI World Cup 2027.
He said that whenever these two players have played, they have scored a lot of runs, following which he sees an opportunity for one of them.
"You have to think about who you can take along as reserves for the World Cup. So, there will be a toss-up here between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who are both part of this team, and whenever they have played, they have scored a lot of runs. So, I am looking at an opportunity opening up for one of these two," Chopra said on JioStar.
The former cricketer also said that he will be excited to see Auqib Nabi perform if he gets an opportunity.
"Auqib Nabi (maiden ODI call-up for West Indies series) has been travelling with the team for some time now, but is not getting a chance to play in the XI. If he gets his opportunity, I will be quite excited to see him perform," he said.
Chopra then said that if Team India's superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma make the cut in the World Cup's squad, they will score runs and help the side win matches and trophies.
"The World Cup is just one year away now, and I know that if Rohit and Kohli get in, they will score runs, win you matches, and possibly win you trophies. So, looking at it from this perspective, the only expectation from Rohit and Kohli is just this: keep scoring runs," said the 49-year-old former cricketer.
Earlier, a grand ceremony in Johannesburg unveiled the 12 venues that will host next year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, with eight venues in South Africa, three in Zimbabwe and one in Namibia's capital Windhoek selected as tournament locations.
South Africa will host games at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, SuperSport Park in Centurion, Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban, St George's Park in Gqeberha, Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, Boland Park in Paarl and Buffalo Park in KuGompo City (formerly East London), according to the ICC website.
Zimbabwe will stage matches at Harare Sports Club in Harare, Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo and Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls, while Namibia's capital Windhoek will host games at the Namibia Cricket Ground.
(With ANI Inputs)
