BCCI dismissed retirement rumours surrounding Rohit Sharma, confirming the former India captain remains in ODI plans despite recent low scores and his goal of playing the 2027 World Cup.
Key Points
- BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia has rejected reports suggesting Rohit Sharma's Lord's ODI could be his final international appearance, confirming he remains part of India's ODI plans.
- Speculation over Rohit's future intensified after his low scores in the first two ODIs against England, despite the series being level at 1-1.
- Rohit has expressed his ambition to play until the 2027 ODI World Cup, with the BCCI backing his continued role in the national team.
The final ODI against England at Lord's on Sunday won't be Rohit Sharma's last match for India, contrary to speculations, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said on Friday.
Speculations were rife that the 39-year-old former India skipper had been told by the selectors that they want to look beyond him and would like to give Yashasvi Jaiswal a long rope.
'Rohit isn't Going Anywhere'
However, Saikia cleared the air that Indian cricket's much loved 'Hit-Man' isn't going anywhere.
"There are lot of speculations going on in media about Rohit Sharma's future. I want to firmly assert that there has been no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match at Lord's on Sunday," Saikia said.
"Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team and he will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things. In other words, Lord's ODI won't be his last match," the BCCI secretary confirmed.
It is understood that the BCCI top brass wasn't happy about how chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir looked at the issue. The BCCI secretary issued an official statement after a day long discussions involving all the stakeholders.
It must be mentioned that an influential former BCCI official, along with Saikia, a renowned legal figure, also had a role to play as he took the touchy issue to its logical conclusion.
• Rohit Sharma's Standoff With Gautam Gambhir And Agarkar
Rohit Likely to Remain in 2027 World Cup Plans
Rohit was apparently very unhappy that he was informed about the decision prior to an important game and he had already expressed his displeasure at how a senior cricketer was being treated.
Saikia also maintained that Rohit will be playing for India as long as "he is in the scheme of things".
Rohit is currently 13 games short of entering the 'Exclusive 300 ODI' club.
Even in his conversations with PTI, one of the bonafide white-ball greats has always maintained that he is working hard only with the vision of representing the country in the 2027 marquee event after missing out on the silverware in 2023.
