Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh advised the team management to erase thoughts on sidelining Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Instead, Harbhajan urged the think tank to build the rest of the team around the veteran duo for the marquee tournament.Despite constant chatter about their 2027 World Cup future, Kohli and Rohit have continued dominating with the bat in recent ODIs. While the latter was the Player of the Series in India's ODI series in Australia, the former won the honors in their most recent home ODI series against South Africa.Talking about the duo's 2027 ODI World Cup chances on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said (0:55):"Are there bigger and better players than Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli? So you shouldn't sideline them but instead think about how to build the team around them. If you lose experience in the pursuit of youth, then it can be a problem from time to time in big matches. So they must play and this will be a big World Cup because after that, it's possible they'll never play another World Cup."He continued:"The way Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are batting and how the batting order looks with them, it looks so solid that they should play.They will maintain their fitness. But the questions about whether they will or should play the World Cup, it's okay to look towards the younger players but don't ignore the players who are already proven performers with the ability to deliver in big matches."Rohit has scored at least a half-century in four out of his last five ODI innings, while Kohli has scored 50+ in each of his previous four ODI innings, including two centuries."First two names should be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli" - Harbhajan SinghHarbhajan Singh believes that missing out on the last ODI World Cup in 2023 in the grand finale after utter domination throughout the tournament should make Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli the first two names in the 2027 World Cup squad. The duo was the top two leading run-scores in the 2023 World Cup, with Kohli finishing on 765 runs and Rohit on 597."In the last World Cup also, they missed it in the final, with the pitch being very slow. If there was a bitter pitch, India would have won. There was a lot of pressure, which is why Australia played better than India and won. But the way India played under Rohit Sharma was unbelievable. So the first two names should be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and the rest of the team should be formed after that," said Harbhajan (via the aforementioned source).He concluded:"Whether India win the World Cup or not in 2027 is a different story. If they win, then it's great, but even if they don't, at least there won't be the regret that they didn't play their best players. These two are your best players, they were there then and there now, and they should always play. So there should be no questions; if their fitness is intact, they should be ready."Kohli and Rohit played a massive role in India's 2025 Champions Trophy triumph earlier in the year, with the former top-scoring in the semifinal and the latter in the summit clash.