After Rohit Sharma's failure in the first two ODIs against England at Edgbaston and Cardiff, several reports claimed that the veteran opener could play his last match for India at Lord’s on Sunday (July 19), as the BCCI selection committee has decided to look past him for the 2027 World Cup and give Yashasvi Jaiswal a chance.
However, the matter took another turn on Friday (July 17), when BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia firmly dismissed all these rumours, saying Rohit would not call it quits this weekend and that he would continue representing the country as “long as he is in the scheme of things.”
Amid the speculation, former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has urged head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar to be upfront with both Rohit and Virat Kohli.
Rohit and Kohli called time on their Test careers within a gap of five days in May last year. Having retired from T20Is in 2024, the seasoned campaigners are now only playing the ODI format.
However, with fewer ODIs being scheduled these days, questions remain over the ageing duo's participation in next year’s quadrennial event. Furthermore, Gambhir and Agarkar have not given a firm commitment, keeping the decision on their involvement for the World Cup coy.
“It's up to the management who they want to stick with. Ideally, you need experience in the team. You can't just go with young guys, or you just can't go with only experience in the team. You have to match it. And I believe that if they have to play the World Cup, they have to be secured now. The media is always going to bring up the moment they don't perform, age and form, and all this is going to come. Whatever noise is outside, let it be outside,” Yuvraj said in an interview with Star Sports during the mid-innings break for the third ODI.
“Whatever your plans are, if you want these guys to go for the World Cup, you tell them now, and you secure them now. That's great, you are going to the World Cup, don't worry about anything. Or if you feel that someone is not fitting, tell them, it's going to look bad, it's going to be a hard call, but eventually the guy will appreciate that you said it on his face,” he added.
Yuvraj acknowledged the unmatched records, centuries, and match-winning contributions of Rohit and Kohli, calling for transparency and clear communication
“That is my opinion. Have clarity with your most experienced players. Virat and Rohit, what they have done for India is unmatchable. It's unbelievable the number of hundreds they have scored, the games they have won for India, what they have contributed to the field as players, as captains, it's unmatched. But you need to have clarity with your seniors,” he remarked.
Rohit Sharma 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. On the other hand, Virat Kohli bounced back with a knock of 65 in the second ODI after scoring only 5 runs in the series opener.
