Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Subramaniam Badrinath believes that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have performed well enough in recent times to deserve selection to India's squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

In the first ODI against New Zealand on Sunday, January 11, at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, Rohit scored a 29-ball 26 to get India off to a solid start in their pursuit of a 301-run target. Meanwhile, Kohli hogged the limelight with a spectacular innings of 93 runs in 91 deliveries.

Kohli has registered six consecutive 50-plus scores in ODIs, dating back to last year. On the other hand, Rohit has also been in scintillating form, registering four 50-plus scores in his last six ODIs appearances.

"The 2027 ODI World Cup is coming, for which the team management should have two players already selected - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Don't just select them, but also have their visas approved and ready. What more do they need to do performance-wise? These two are a must for India to win the World Cup. So I suggest you have these two names already written with their visas applied," Badrinath said while talking about the experienced campaigners on Instagram.

India romped home in 49 overs with four wickets in the bank. Skipper Shubman Gill scored a crucial half-century at the top of the order on his return from injury. Shreyas Iyer, who also made his international comeback after recovering from an injury, smashed a belligerent 49 off 47 balls.

Towards the back end of the innings, KL Rahul (29*) and Harshit Rana (29) made useful contributions before Washington Sundar joined the former in getting the Men in Blue to the finishing line.

Earlier in the day, it was Daryl Mitchell's 71-ball 84, which paved the way for the Kiwis to register a 300-run total. However, credit should go to openers Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls for their half-centuries, which laid the foundation. However, the Indian bowlers kept picking wickets through the middle, which prevented the Black Caps from putting up a match-winning total.