There is a lot of mutual respect between Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler. The two have been involved in several battles over the years when India and England squared off in international cricket. The duo have also shared the dressing room for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and hence it’s not surprising that the duo get along really well. Both Rohit and Buttler were on opposite ends of the spectrum when India and England faced off in the three-match ODI series recently.
The Three Lions won the series 2-1; however, the decider at Lord’s will always be remembered for the century scored by Rohit amid the growing chatter about his future in international cricket. The Hitman played a knock of 138 runs, but it wasn’t enough for India to chase down the daunting target of 388.
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After the game ended in an England win, Rohit took some time to sign his own jersey for Buttler. On his trademark ’45’ jersey, Rohit wrote, “Dear Jos, Loved my time playing with and against you.” And below this message, he signed his Indian jersey for Buttler.
Sharing the picture on Instagram Stories, Buttler wrote, “The one opposition player’s shirt I’ve always wanted. One of my all-time favourite players. Will treasure this, thank you.”
Speaking of Buttler, he had made his IPL debut with the Mumbai Indians and was a part of the title-winning squad in 2017. However, he didn’t play the final for the five-time champions as he was about to represent England.
Rohit’s epic knock at Lord’s
Before the series decider against England, there were several reports doing the rounds that Rohit might call time on his career after the Lord’s ODI, as the selectors don’t see him in the plans for the 2027 World Cup. However, the 39-year-old answered his critics in style, slamming 138 runs off 110 balls.
With this century, Rohit became the first Indian batter to slam an ODI century at Lord’s, and he also surpassed Viv Richards to register the highest individual score by a batter at the venue in ODIs.
After the ton, Rohit also addressed the outside chatter, saying he is not bothered about what the people are saying and his job is to do well for the team. It would be interesting to see what the selectors do next when they sit down to pick the squad for the ODI assignment against the West Indies in September.
The West Indies would be travelling to India for the ODI and the T20I series, and it remains to be seen whether the selectors name Yashasvi Jaiswal in the squad or not.