Lord’s ODI Not Rohit Sharma’s Last Match: For the past few days, speculation had been rife across social media and media circles regarding the One Day International (ODI) future of Indian cricket legend and former captain Rohit Sharma. Rumors even suggested that the third ODI against England at Lord’s could be the final match of his career.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now completely put these rumors to rest, bringing a sigh of relief to millions of fans.
How Did Rohit Sharma’s ODI Retirement Rumors Start?
The entire controversy and uncertainty began when certain media reports claimed that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee had held discussions with Rohit Sharma regarding his future.
Claims in reports: The selection committee had reportedly indicated to Rohit that he was not part of the team’s long-term plans for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Alongside this, there were reports that the team management, looking towards the future, was keen to provide consistent opportunities to young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal to partner Shubman Gill at the top of the order.
Rohit Sharma’s Recent Poor Form Fuels Retirement Speculations
The current form of 39-year-old Rohit Sharma—who has already retired from the Test and T20 International (T20I) formats—further fueled these rumors.
His bat has remained quiet in the ongoing series against England:
- Scores in the first two matches: Just 11 and 26 runs.
- Fans’ concern: Due to his poor form, fans genuinely began to fear whether their favorite ‘Hitman’ would now bid adieu to ODI cricket as well.
BCCI Big Update: Lord’s ODI Will Not Be Rohit Sharma’s Last Match
Amidst all this speculation, BCCI Joint Secretary Devajit Saikia stepped forward to clarify the situation completely. According to an India Today report, Saikia stated:
“There is a lot of speculation in the media regarding Rohit Sharma’s future. I want to state clearly that there has been no discussion about Rohit playing his last match at Lord’s on Sunday (July 19).”
He added that Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team and will continue to represent the country as long as there are plans to include him in the squad. In other words, the Lord’s ODI is certainly not his final match.
Rohit Sharma’s Record at Lord’s Cricket Ground and Upcoming Challenge
While this statement from the BCCI has brought great relief to fans, all eyes are now fixed on Rohit’s performance on the field. Rohit’s past record at the historic Lord’s ground has not been very impressive:
| Innings | Total Runs | Highest Score | Special Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 15 | 15 | Dismissed for a duck once |
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