The BCCI selection committee has reportedly informed Rohit Sharma about his international future, with Sunday's Lord's ODI against England on Sunday (July 19) expected to be his farewell.
According to reports, the selectors aim to transition to younger talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal as the team builds a formidable squad for the 2027 World Cup.
While Rohit has put a lot of hard work to improve his physical fitness lately, the selectors apparently are not happy with his performances.
The veteran opener has hit the 50-run mark only once in eight ODIs 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.
Amid the speculations, legendary India all-rounder Kapil Dev on Saturday (July 18) said that Rohit’s retirement, whenever it comes, should be celebrated as the latter has brought immense joy to cricket fans over the years.
"No, let's stay happy. Why sad? He has given us so much happiness over the years. Everybody has to go. Sunil Gavaskar gone, Rahul gone, Anil Kumble gone, Sachin gone. Everybody has to go," Kapil told ANI.
The 1983 World Cup-winning captain urged fans to celebrate Rohit's career rather than feeling sad about his potential retirement.
"So when he goes, we should celebrate his life. What a happiness, how much entertainment he has given to the country, not only to the country, but also around the world. We should be happy, why sad?" Kapil said.
Kapil Dev expressed his wish that if Rohit Sharma steps away, he does so in style by scoring a century.
"Yes, he has to go one day. I hope if he's going, he should get a hundred and go," Kapil added.
Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has firmly denied the rumours that the 39-year-old will hang up his boots from international cricket after the third ODI against England at Lord’s.
“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 told RevSportz.
While Saikia ruled out Rohit's retirement after the Lord's ODI, he stopped short of confirming whether the right-handed opener remains part of India's plans for the 2027 World Cup.
“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.
