Rumours are rife that the BCCI selection committee has informed Rohit Sharma about him being not in the scheme of things for the 2027 ODI World Cup, slated to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Naimbia.
The selectors reportedly aim 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 England series, returning with scores of 11 (21 balls) and 26 (47 balls) in two outings.
Amidst mounting speculation over his international future, former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth has advised the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar to be “upfront” with Rohit.
“The management might have told him that they have the option of dropping him if he doesn't retire. But when there are such contrasting reports day to day, how will a player have confidence? If this is true, be upfront and clearly communicate it to him. Let him know where he stands. After that, he can make his own decision. Whether he wants to continue or not, that's his choice,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“The decision has to be made now, as only then can Jaiswal or someone else replacing him settle into the team before the 2027 World Cup. But it'll be interesting to see if the management reverses its decision if Rohit scores a 75 in the Lord's match. Even at his age, if he continues performing, he has to be picked for the World Cup,” he added.
Commenting on Rohit's knock in the second ODI, Srikkanth noted that the senior batter appeared mentally blocked and uncharacteristically clueless.
“It is clear that something has gone wrong mentally with Rohit based on his knock yesterday. It was not his kind of batting at all. Something must have happened before the match. It was disheartening to see Rohit bat the way he did,” Srikkanth stated.
“It was such a scratchy knock, and he looked completely out of sorts. I can't remember seeing such a knock from Rohit in white-ball cricket, and it was very surprising. I don't know what was bothering him, but he wasn't getting his timing properly, and he looked clueless,” he remarked.
Rohit Sharma will be keen to make amends in the series-deciding third ODI against England, scheduled for July 19 at Lord’s.
