India’s one-day captain Shubman Gill has made it plain: the 2027 ODI World Cup is at the front of his mind. Speaking on Star Sports during the BCCI awards, he reflected on the defeat to Australia in the 2023 final and the feeling of having a second chance.
“Definitely, it does. That is the ultimate goal,” Gill said, when asked whether the next World Cup already sits on his agenda. “We felt like we were so close last time when we were here in [the final] in India. To be able to get another crack at it in South Africa, it’s going to be a great opportunity for us. Winning a World Cup in any format for the country is the ultimate goal. So obviously, that is something that sometimes runs in my mind.”
The 2027 tournament, featuring 14 teams, will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October-November. Conditions there are expected to favour quicker bowlers early and slower surfaces later, a mix the current squad has already begun studying. Coaches have circulated video packages from recent bilateral tours, and players are pencilling in extra training blocks with the red Kookaburra, which behaves differently from the white ball but still offers clues about bounce and seam.
India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, who lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup, admitted that one match still bothers him. “Definitely, 2023 World Cup final at Ahmedabad. [I would] love to replay that and win it,” he said. The memory of Travis Head’s hundred, a sluggish pitch and a silenced home crowd clearly lingers.
Suryakumar then linked India’s 2024 success to a broader run of trophies. “I think we just needed that one spark, or one step, which we actually crossed in 2024, and post that, 2025 Champions Trophy, then [the] women’s team winning that ODI World Cup back in 2025, and then [men winning in] 2026. That one step was important, that taste was important for everyone to understand what it takes to win an ICC trophy. Now, there is no looking back. If this wonderful thing has started, let’s try and collect as many [trophies] as possible.”
Analytically, Gill’s ambition makes sense. At 27, he should be close to his batting peak by 2027, with a core of players—Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Siraj—likely in similar windows. Workload management, especially during long IPL seasons, will be crucial. So too will adapting to South African pitches that can start hard and finish slow once the highveld heat dries them out.
For now, the talk of ultimate goals feels measured rather than boastful. India have tasted both the agony of near-misses and the joy of recent titles. Gill and Suryakumar appear determined to make the next four-year cycle one of sustained silverware, without getting carried away in the process.
