All the chatter is about Rohit Sharma ahead of the third and final ODI against England on Sunday. Earlier this week, several reports emerged claiming that the Hitman could be playing his last international game for the Men in Blue at the Lord’s Cricket Ground after being told by the selectors that he isn’t in the plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. According to reports, Rohit was informed that the selection committee is looking to groom Yashasvi Jaiswal, and hence, this time is up.
The reports emerged on the same day as the second ODI between India and England in Cardiff, where Rohit struggled for timing. The right-handed batter managed just 26 runs off 47 balls, and looked all at sea against Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson. The 39-year-old has been struggling of late, and the runs have not flown as consistently as he would like. Even in the series opener against the Three Lions, Rohit scored just 11 runs.
On Saturday, India bowling coach Morne Morkel, however, backed Rohit to come good, saying the veteran batter knows how to turn the tide. He also sympathised with the former India captain, saying batting against the new ball hasn’t been that easy in the series against England.
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“As I said earlier, it is hard work with a new ball up front. We’ve seen throughout the series that the ball is moving around. So batting up front is not easy. No doubt Rohit will work it out,” Morkel told reporters in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“He’s done it in the past, his experience. And he just brings that calmness to the batting line-up. So without a doubt, no worries and concerns at all with the way he’s going about things,” he added.
BCCI deny reports
On Friday night, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia cleared the air and denied all the reports of Rohit possibly retiring after the third ODI against England. Speaking to the news agency PTI, Saikia said Rohit will continue playing as long as he’s in the selectors’ scheme of things.
“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.
“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 added.
Ever since retiring from Tests, the future of Rohit has been hotly debated, while the Hitman has repeatedly spoken about wanting to play the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, Rohit’s situation became complicated after he was removed as the ODI captain last year.
The runs flew off his bat against Australia; however, since then, the batter’s results have been mixed in the ODI format.