Rohit Sharma. Image Credits: AFP
On Sunday, July 19, India and England will lock horns for the 3rd and final ODI at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The series is levelled at 1-1. The entire focus is on Rohit Sharma because it has been a difficult weekend for all Indian cricket fans.
For the uninitiated, there were reports that Rohit Sharma might play his last ODI for the Men in Blue on Sunday, as the selectors no longer see him as part of the scheme of things. The internet went into a frenzy and started a protest against the BCCI for not backing the 39-year-old for the ODI World Cup 2027.
BCCI Refutes Retirement Reports
When the public outcry spread like wildfire online, the BCCI eventually stepped in to control the chaos. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia refuted such retirement claims and clarified that the Lord’s ODI won’t be Rohit’s last.
"There are a lot of speculations going on in the media about Rohit Sharma's future. I want to firmly assert that there has been no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match at Lord's on Sunday," Saikia told PTI.
Also Read: Team India Releases Official Word On Rohit Sharma Amid Poor Form In England
"Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team, and he will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things. In other words, Lord's ODI won't be his last match," he added.
Rohit Sharma Himself Rules Out Retirement
In the latest events, a video has gone viral where Rohit was heard talking to batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and refuting his retirement rumours. Notably, the video was captured when the Hitman was marching towards a practise session.
“Bahar kya chal raha hai, usse hamko kya,” remarked Rohit Sharma as he made his way to the Lord’s ground.
Watch the video below:
Recently, Sitanshu Kotak was the one who shrugged off the retirement claims during a post-match presser.
“I don’t think that a player as big as Rohit can feel any pressure. He’s too good a player to feel that. Yes, he didn’t get runs. I don’t think that makes any difference. Today also, it looked like he’ll probably get a good innings out. But that’s okay,” Kotak said in the post-match press conference on Thursday.
Rohit Sharma Shares Light Moment With Gautam Gambhir In Training
Despite the outside noise, the mood inside the camp looks great. Rohit Sharma shared a light moment with head coach Gautam Gambhir on the eve of the 3rd ODI which quickly went viral on social media.
The two India stalwarts were hanging out in the famous Lord's balcony where it seemed that they joked about recreating the Sourav Ganguly moment. The excat details of the conversation are not out but the Hitman burst out laughing which delighted his fan base.
Talking about the hitman, despite BCCI's assurity, pressure mounts on his head to score runs. The right-handed batter has amassed just 37 runs in 2 matches and need a big inning on Sunday evening to silence his critics.
Also Read: BCCI Revises India's Squad For 3rd ODI; Washington Sundar's Replacement Announced
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