Rohit has reportedly not in the plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The team management reportedly aims to transition to younger talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, leaving the veteran opener to decide on his ODI future following the ongoing England assignment.
The reports emerged amidst a lean patch for Rohit in the first two ODIs of the England tour, where he returned with scores of 11 (21 balls) and 26 (47 balls).
Despite the speculation, Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on Thursday (July 16) firmly denied putting retirement pressure on Rohit and backed the stalwart, insisting that a player of his stature cannot be affected by recent low scores.
"See, I don't think a big player like Rohit Sharma can have any sort of pressure. He's too good a player to feel that. Yes, he didn't get runs in the opening two matches, but I don't think that makes any difference. But today, it also looked like he'd probably get a good innings going. But that's okay," Kotak said in the post-match presser after India’s four-wicket defeat to England in Cardiff ODI.
He further downplayed chatter around Rohit Sharma being under pressure to secure his future in the ODI format.
"See, honestly, I have played a lot of cricket, and I have seen a lot of cricket. On any given day, there are a lot of batters I have seen who don't get the momentum that they are looking for, and that can happen. You might see a completely different innings from Rohit Sharma at Lord's," Kotak added.
According Kotak, the "double bounce" in English wickets made it difficult for Rohit to comfortably play his customary shots on the up. He also noted that unlike Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, who capitalized on early pace and got quick starts, Rohit struggled to find the ball in his favored hitting areas.
"So, I wouldn't use the word 'struggling', but, maybe the shots he normally plays on the up and all, because of the double bounce, probably he felt it was not comfortable. Shubman got a quick start, then Virat got a quick start, but he didn't get balls in his slot, or he didn't get going. That's what I felt. So, I wouldn't say that, because you could definitely see a completely different innings from a player like Rohit, and I think that I have seen that happening to a lot of batters. So, it's not just Rohit; I wouldn't use the word 'struggling'," he remarked.
The three-match series is currently tied at 1-1. Rohit Sharma will be keen to make amends in the series-decider at Lord’s on Sunday (July 19).