The Board of Control for Cricket in India has rejected media reports about former captain Rohit Sharma’s future in one-day internationals. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia stated that the upcoming match at Lord’s will not mark the end of the batter’s career in the format.
In comments to PTI, Saikia dismissed claims that the opener plans to retire from ODIs during the deciding game against England on Sunday.
“There are a lot of speculations going on in the 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.
The remarks follow reports that the selection panel and head coach Gautam Gambhir aim to focus on younger players ahead of the 2027 World Cup. The 39-year-old has faced questions after modest scores in the first two matches of the current series.
Saikia confirmed that retirement reports are incorrect but offered no assurance about Sharma’s role in the 2027 tournament.
“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, the Lord’s ODI won’t be his last match,” the secretary added.
The series stands level after games in Birmingham and Cardiff. India will face England in the final match at Lord’s on July 19.
Speculation began after a report claimed selectors told Sharma he would not be part of plans for the 2027 World Cup and preferred to give opportunities to Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Former player Deep Dasgupta noted a lack of clarity in Sharma’s batting during the second ODI.
Ravichandran Ashwin criticized the team management for failing to communicate clearly with the player about his future.
Sharma has appeared in 287 ODIs, scoring 11,757 runs at an average of 48.58 with 33 centuries. If he does not play again after Lord’s, he would rank seventh among all-time run scorers in the format.
