ENG vs IND 2026 3rd T20I: Former captain Rohit Sharma was seen laughing in the presence of head coach Gautam Gambhir at the Lord’s balcony ahead of the ENG vs IND 3rd ODI. The light-hearted moment came a day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) dismissed reports claiming the upcoming contest would be the batter’s last in Indian colors. Rohit came to the ground for the optional practice session and spoke to the team management before heading for the nets.
According to the Indian Express, the selection panel had informed Rohit that they had planned to prefer Yashasvi Jaiswal over the veteran after the England series. The ball was put in his court, but the BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, refuted all the claims. He clearly mentioned that Rohit was not retiring after the Lord’s ODI and that he is still part of the ODI team.
Locked in, but enjoying the moment 💙#RohitSharma and #GautamGambhir share a laugh on the Lord’s balcony before India take the field for the series-deciding ODI. 👏#ENGvIND 3rd ODI 👉 SUN, 19th JULY, 2:30 PM on JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/FUCQX0HxTa
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 18, 2026
With the speculations coming to an end, Rohit attended the optional training session at the Home of Cricket on Saturday, July 18. He was seen having a conversation with Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak to return to form after a few tough outings.
India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel also opined on Rohit Sharma’s struggles, and he is confident of seeing the batter among the runs.
“It has been hard work against the new ball for the openers. The ball is moving, which is causing problems for the batters, but I am sure Rohit will come up with a solution, as he has done in the past. There are no concerns,” Morne Morkel said.
While Saikia ruled out the possibility of Rohit’s retirement, he didn’t confirm his place for the 2027 ODI World Cup. With Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring two hundreds in the last three fifty-over games, the selectors could still move on from Rohit as India start preparations for the global tournament in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Rohit has been a match-winner for the Indian National Cricket Team in white-ball cricket, but his returns haven’t been exceptional since the 2025 Champions Trophy. He has shown his brilliance with the bat on a few occasions, but the consistency has been missing, leading to reports of him not being in the scheme of things of the selectors and the team management.
Saturday’s conversation between Rohit and Gambhir showed everyone the different side of the story. With both men chatting and laughing on the Lord’s balcony before the start of the training session, the retirement stories have taken a back seat for a while, but Indian cricket is full of surprises, and no one knows what could happen after the last game. Notably, no question on Rohit Sharma’s retirement stories was asked during the Morne Morkel press conference on the eve of the Lord’s ODI.
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