The third and final ODI between England and India could be Rohit Sharma’s last match in international cricket. The veteran will take the field on July 19, and the national selectors have already informed the batter that he is not part of the plans and will not be considered for selection post the series. According to the Indian Express, the selection panel had a word with Rohit in the presence of head coach Gautam Gambhir last week and revealed their plans for the future.
The decision-makers want to give more game time to young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hasn’t played regularly for India despite showing impressive form in the fifty-over format. The committee has no interest in taking Rohit to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
“The selectors have informed Rohit Sharma that he is not in their scheme of things after the England ODI series, and they have decided to move on from him post the tour. The batter wanted to continue after working hard on his fitness. The selectors have left the ball in the veteran’s court to take a final call,” a source in the Indian board informed.
He spoke to the BCCI officials as he was not happy with the decision. The right-handed batter has already retired from T20Is and Test cricket and only plays in one-day internationals. He stepped away from the shortest format after leading India to success in the 2024 T20 World Cup and announced his retirement from Test cricket just before the tour of England.
He had informed the team management and the selection committee. The selectors are willing to groom players like Jaiswal, who has been in and out of the team despite good numbers. Rohit was sacked as captain in the ODIs after the Champions Trophy last year, with Shubman Gill getting the captain’s armband for the series against Australia.
India made it to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup but lost to Australia under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. He advocated the need to play a fearless brand of cricket and led from the front. The team’s aggressive approach finally paid off in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Sharma has been struggling in the past few series and scored 11 and 26 in the first two ODIs against England. He didn’t time the ball in the Cardiff ODI and was put under pressure by the rival bowlers.
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