ICC Champions Trophy? Done and Dusted! What’s the next target for the India Cricket Team? Well, India will co-host the ICC T20 World Cup in 2026 and will dearly seek to defend their title. But the main focus will be on the ICC ODI World Cup 2027. As per the current FTP calendar India has 27 ODI matches left.
However, the ODI World Cup 2027 will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November 2027. That means, India will also get a couple of ODI matches as per the new FTP cycle. This in turn means that the Men in Blue will have a good amount of matches to prepare before the tournament.
Does India have a good chance for ODI World Cup?
Around 2.5 years are left before each team prepares for the tournament. But preparation needs to be top notch for the Men in Blue. Last time, the side played at home, went unbeaten throughout the tournament, only to lose to Australia in the finals. Rumours erupted that the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli would retire from ODIs after winning the Champions Trophy like they did after winning the T20 World Cup.
But those rumours were squashed by the Hitman, who made it clear that he is not retiring from the format. This in turn gives the linger hope that the players have already made it their mission to lift the ODI World Cup 2027 before hanging their boots.
| Series | Matches | Time | Venue |
| India vs England | 5 Tests | June-August 2025 | Away |
| India vs Bangladesh | 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is | August 2025 | Away |
| India vs West Indies | 2 Tests | October 2025 | Home |
| India vs Australia | 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is | October-November 2025 | Away |
| India vs South Africa | 2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is | November-December 2025 | Home |
| India vs New Zealand | 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is | January 2026 | Home |
| T20 World Cup | February-March 2026 | Home | |
| India vs Afghanistan | 1 Test, 3 ODIs | June 2026 | Home |
| India vs England | 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is | July 2026 | Away |
| India vs Sri Lanka | 2 Tests | August 2026 | Away |
| India vs Afghanistan | 3 T20Is | September 2026 | Away |
| India vs West Indies | 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is | September-October 2026 | Home |
| India vs New Zealand | 2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is | October-November 2026 | Away |
| India vs Sri Lanka | 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is | December 2026 | Home |
| India vs Australia | 5 Tests | January-February 2027 | Home |
While these seniors will be at the twilight of their career in 2027, but given the fitness that these players have, they can quite possibly pull it off. India’s team in the next 2 years will be more stable. The team is constantly evolving with the inclusion of youth.
In the meantime, the now young players like Shubman Gill become more matured and evolved with every passing day. India will very likely field a very strong team with experienced campaigners like Rohit-Kohli and more matured stars like Gill, Pant and Jaiswal. This in turn can be the perfect recipe for success, something which evaded India the last time in the finals.
