The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Mithun Manhas has asserted that a player’s fitness and performance should remain the main criteria for selecting players instead of looking at their age.
Notably, Manhas’ comments came right after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s selection dilemma ahead of the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Speaking in an exclusive interaction with Sportstar, the BCCI President asserted that players should be judged solely on their performances.
“As far as the BCCI is concerned, we are not in a position to comment because it all depends on the selectors and the coaches. But from how I look at it, fitness and performance should be the criteria for selection, and definitely not age,” Manhas told Sportstar.
“If somebody is fit to play, and you see him performing and winning games for the country, that is the only criterion we should focus on,” he added.
Further, Manhas asserted that Indian players like Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah also play a pivotal role in the forthcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2027 next year. It’s worth noting that Shubman Gill was appointed ODI captain in October 2025. Manhas reckoned that veterans Kohli and Rohit could help out the young captain.
“Having Virat, Hardik (Pandya) and Rohit in the side will definitely help him (Gill). Then there are the likes of (Jasprit) Bumrah, who could lead, who can be the bowling captains, and then somebody who will be the fielding captain. So, it is all about the distribution of workload,” Manhas concluded.
