Rumours are rife that Lord's ODI could mark the final match of Rohit's international career.
Rohit Sharma's form has come under heavy scrutiny in the ongoing England tour. In fact, his struggle for rhythm has fueled retirement rumours, especially with young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings.
The 39-year-old managed only 11 runs in the series opener at Edgbaston and a laboured 26 runs off 47 balls during the second ODI in Cardiff. In his 8 ODI innings this year, he is averaging just 30.12 with a strike rate under 89.
On the eve of the series-decider at Lord’s, Rohit himself seemingly addressed the growing speculation surrounding his ODI future.
In a video doing rounds on social media, the veteran opener can be seen talking directly to India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on the sidelines of a practice session.
Rohit can be heard saying, "Hum log ko bahar kya chal raha hai, us se humko kya (We have nothing to do with what is going on outside)", clearly downplaying the outside noise regarding his career.
Amidst mounting speculation over his international future, the BCCI has maintained that Lord’s ODI will not be Rohit’s final game for India.
“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,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told RevSportz.
“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, the Lord’s ODI won’t be his last match,” he further stated.