Former India head coach Ravi Shastri praised Rohit Sharma for his stunning century against England in the third and final ODI at Lord's, claiming that the opener has 'shut everyone up' concerning his future in the 50-over game.

Rohit scored a magnificent 138, the first ODI century by an Indian batsman at Lord's, and put an end to talk that his 50-over career was gone. He exchanged stands of 147 and 113 with skipper Shubman Gill (77) and Virat Kohli (74), but it was in vain as India succumbed by 27 runs and suffered a 2-1 series defeat.

“He didn’t need to do so, but he shut up everybody, because when you get those kinds of rumors floating around, it’s sometimes irritating. When a player has done that much, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

If he has the desire to play and work hard at his game and he’s still enjoying it, I think he should be given the opportunity for as long as he wants. The day will come when he’ll feel that he’ll go, but when you have that kind of quality, you’re thinking of dropping him, and then he produces anything like this—first time ever, it was a special innings,” said Shastri on Sky Sports.

Additionally, he pointed out that although the top order was effective, India's bowling and fielding were lacking.

“Absolutely – these guys (Rohit and Virat) are converters. Once they get 40-50, they smell the coffee. They know how to make that big score now for India to stay in the hunt. They needed that 130-140 from someone—it came from Rohit; good support from Shubman and Virat kept them in the game. But 380 was always a little too much, but a lot of food for thought for India, especially when it comes to fielding and the bowling department,” Shastri added.

Speaking about Virat Kohli, who scored his first fifty in an international match at Lord's, Shastri commended his unwavering perseverance and the intangible worth he adds to the team.

“It wasn’t easy once the ball got a little older, as we found out with the other batsmen, but then again that hunger, that desire, that passion for the sport, and the energy he brings onto the ground and in the dressing room—there's no substitute for that,” Shastri said.

The lack of a seasoned campaigner like Jasprit Bumrah cost India dearly in the final overs against a furious Jos Buttler, according to Shastri, who feels that the team management needs to address the death-bowling concerns.

“They will look back and know the areas where they’ve got to improve. They will realize the importance of Jasprit Bumrah, and they will want to give exposure to these youngsters. They’ve given Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, and others chances—you've got to give them more exposure and then let them learn from experience.

That’s what India lacked in those final overs when Jos Buttler took them apart. It was a lack of experience—someone like Bumrah there with three or four overs might have made all the difference,” Shastri concluded.

(Sky Cricket inputs)