Rohit Sharma’s final international cricket match may be the third ODI between India and England at Lord’s on Sunday, July 19, 2026, as the national selection committee is unlikely to select the legendary white-ball player after the current series in the UK.
Rohit has only amassed 241 runs at an average of 30.1 and a strike rate of 88.6 with a solitary half-century in the previous eight ODIs.
Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, is in Cardiff as a visiting selector, and it is evident that they are not considering the 39-year-old India captain who won two ICC trophies for the upcoming ODI World Cup. “Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored two hundreds in three innings, is eager to receive a longer rope from the national selection. Jaiswal must be awarded the twenty or so games. Nobody can force Rohit to retire, but it’s obvious that the selectors are looking forward to the September home series against the West Indies.”
“Rohit must make a decision about his future,” a top BCCI source with knowledge of selection issues told PTI under condition of anonymity. It should be noted that Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir agree that Virat Kohli should be selected automatically due to his form and fitness, but not Rohit.
It is acknowledged that Jaiswal, who is next in line, will not lose out on valuable playing time if Rohit is allowed to play outside of England.
It should be noted that Rohit and the selection committee disagreed on his decision to quit from Test cricket.
Rohit was not happy with the selectors’ choice, as was to be expected. According to an Indian Express article, he reportedly had a conversation with certain BCCI officials while watching the England series. But he didn’t hear back, and he was disappointed.
Those with access to Rohit’s version attested that he never meant to play just two games and had made himself available for the entire series, despite the selection committee’s close associates maintaining that they didn’t want Rohit to make a decision after playing two of the five Tests in England.
India does have a rich reserve of backup openers wanting to break into the ODI side, led by Yashasvi Jaiswal. Other options include Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudarshan, Abhishek Sharma and even Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to throw in an out of the box option. Jaiswal though, seems to be the successor.
If it is indeed the end of the road for Hitman, it is a rather anti-climactic end, the elusive ODI WC trophy that Rohit has chased all his career will end up becoming a dream.
Also Read – Joe Root Reveals What He Told Gus Atkinson After Sacrificing His Century In England’s Win Over India
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