“Rohit Sharma will continue to represent India; Lord’s ODI will not be his last”: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia dismisses retirement rumors

Rohit Sharma (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: The ODI final against England at Lord’s on Sunday may not be Rohit Sharma’s last game for India after all. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Saturday dismissed retirement speculation and reiterated that the top opener remains firmly in India’s ODI plans.The clarification comes amid uncertainty over Rohit Sharma’s future after it emerged the veteran opener will no longer be an automatic pick outside the ongoing England series, with selectors eyeing every ODI selection in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup. However, Saikia said no decision has been taken on Rohit’s future.“There is a lot of speculation in the media about Rohit Sharma’s future. I want to firmly confirm that there was no such discussion about Rohit playing his last match at Lord’s on Sunday,” Saikia was quoted as saying by PTI.Saikia also made it clear that Rohit continues to be an integral part of India’s ODI setup.“Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team and will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things. In other words, Lord’s ODI will not be his last match,” the BCCI secretary confirmed.The Tech Word News had earlier reported that Rohit is no longer guaranteed a place in India’s ODI XI, with the selectors keen to assess the form and fitness of each player as preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup gather pace. The assessment was that the door remained open for Rohit to continue, provided he continued to justify his place through performances. Rohit is currently 13 matches away from becoming only the eighth player in ODI history to make 300 appearances.