Lord's ODI will not be Rohit Sharma's last: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has firmly dismissed ongoing media speculation regarding former India captain Rohit Sharma's future in ODI cricket. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia clarified that the upcoming match at Lord's will not be the veteran's final appearance in the format.

Speaking to news agency PTI, Saikia strongly quashed reports suggesting that the opening batter is set to retire from ODIs during the series decider against England on Sunday.

"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 stated.

The statement comes in the wake of widespread reports claiming that the national selection committee and head coach Gautam Gambhir are looking to



transition towards younger players with an eye on the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. The 39-year-old's position had come under intense scrutiny following modest returns in the first two games of the ongoing series.

However, Saikia emphasised that the retirement reports are untrue, though he stopped short of committing to Rohit’s presence for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

"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, the Lord's ODI won't be his last match," the BCCI Secretary added.

With the three-match series currently poised after matches at Edgbaston and Cardiff, India will take on England in the final ODI at Lord's on Sunday, July 19, with the reassurance from the board that their skipper is staying put for now.