Before the third and final ODI against England at Lord's on Sunday, July 19, former Indian opener Sadagoppan Ramesh criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their incomplete update on Rohit Sharma's future.
Social media was ablaze with rumors of Rohit's retirement following the England series, after his poor batting performance in the second ODI. On the next day, however, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia ruled out any such development.
"There has been no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match at Lord's on Sunday. 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, Lord's ODI won't be his last match," Saikia was quoted as saying by RevSportz.
Ramesh feels that the BCCI statement did not address Rohit's potential participation in the 2027 World Cup.
"The only line to consider from the statement is 'as long as he is in the scheme of things.' They've not answered the main question with this statement. Is Rohit Sharma part of your scheme of things in the future? Everyone knows a person has to book tickets to go to a place. But is he going or not? That is the question. The same applies here for Rohit,” Ramesh said on his Instagram.
Rohit has been poor in the ongoing ODI series, scoring 11 and 26 runs in the first two matches of the series.
Sadagoppan Ramesh wanted Rohit Sharma to score big in the final ODI against England at Lord's, regardless of his future with the Men in Blue side. If the Lord's encounter proves to be Rohit's final match for India, the former opener thinks a spectacular farewell innings would be appropriate given his outstanding career.
"Performance must be the parameter for anyone's selection. But India still has a lot to gain from Rohit Sharma, in my belief. Thus, his going out on a high is paramount, and a brilliant knock in the Lord's game will enhance those chances.
For Rohit's sake, a brilliant knock in the Lord's match will do wonders. It has nothing to do with his future selections or the 2027 World Cup selection. It's just so that a player with such pedigree and ability can dictate their own destiny with satisfaction. That's how it should be and not a decision that's forced upon him,” Ramesh added.
India had registered a good win in the first ODI in Birmingham, while England leveled the three-ODI series 1-1 with a 4-wicket win in the second match in Cardiff.
