Rohit scored 26 off 47 balls in the second ODI against England.
Speculations are rife about Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee informing Rohit Sharma that he is not in the scheme of things for the 2027 ODI World Cup, slated to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Naimbia.
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 ODIs. He has hit the 50-run mark only once in eight innings this year and has looked a pale shadow of himself in the ongoing England series, returning with scores of 11 (21 balls) and 26 (47 balls) in two outings.
Rohit’s laboured, defensive approach has sparked rumours that the selectors are looking to transition to younger talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal for the quadrennial event.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, former India batter Mohammad Kaif suggested that this is the most Rohit Sharma has ever struggled in his ODI career.
"He played a strange innings in this match, I have rarely seen Rohit Sharma struggle like this, where he is getting stuck against the short ball. In the next match you are going to see Rohit Sharma take on and play shots, he will pull, he will drive, and he might get out, but that is a different matter. But he is going to play with intent in the next match," Kaif said.
Kaif wants Rohit to play his natural, aggressive game if the third ODI against England at Lord’s indeed happens to be his final international appearance.
"Assume that Rohit Sharma plays and scores a 100, he can do that, because when he flops for 2-3 innings, he bats aggressively in the next game. He has done that throughout his career. Yes, he has not been consistent, that has been the difference between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. So, if such an innings comes, he would want that to happen," Kaif stated.
"If he decides that he will not play any longer or the selectors take the call that he will not play, then he would want to go out like this, on a high note. He would want to contribute in a do-or-die game, and he can do that. He was not settled in the second ODI, the flow was not there, so his time has come, but this has happened many times in his career, and he has always responded back, so I hope that if the next match is his last, then he should go out with such an innings that people remember," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on Thursday (July 16) firmly denied putting retirement pressure on Rohit Sharma 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.
"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," he added.