Indian captain Rohit Sharma has ignored any rumours of announcing retirement following the completion of the ICC Champions Trophy. Addressing the media on the eve of the maiden one-day international against England, Rohit divulged that he isn’t attending the media to talk about reports but has all his focus on the task at hand—India’s 50-over assignments, including the Champions Trophy.
‘Angry’ Rohit Sharma isn’t here to prove anything
A reporter asked about Rohit’s future plans, hinting at a question on whether the Indian captain will retire or not. Visibly agitated from the question, Rohit said, “What kind of a question is that?” Rohit attained that he has seen enough ups and downs in his career, and the ongoing buzz about his poor form is nothing “new” for him.
This is a different format, different time. As usual, as cricketers, we know there will be ups and downs and I have faced a lot in my career so this is nothing new to me. We know every day is a fresh day; every series is a fresh series,” Rohit added.
ODI format comes at a much-needed time for Rohit
Now a retired player from the T20Is, Rohit’s form hit an all-time low in the Tests. He had a horrible Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, where he made just 31 runs in 5 innings before dropping himself for the last Test. But, the 50-over format comes at a crucial juncture for Rohit, who desperately needs runs under his belt.
“How is it relevant that I talk about my future plans sitting here, where we have three ODIs and Champions Trophies coming in? The reports have been going on for a number of years. But I am not here to clarify those reports. For me right now, these three games here and then the Champions Trophy is very, very important. So, my focus is on these games.”
Even Rohit knows that his poor form might not translate in ODIs, where he has scored 1412 runs at an unimaginable strike rate of 119.35 since 2023. Rohit has walked the talk as an opener for India, racking runs unselfishly. Similar could well be expected in the IND vs ENG ODIs and at the ICC Champions Trophy. The first ODI against England is in Nagpur, Rohit’s birthplace, on February 06.
Most ODI runs since 2023 for IND ft. Rohit
| Rank | Player | Inns | Runs | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shubman Gill | 32 | 1641 | 58.60 | 102.88 | 5 | 9 | 185 | 41 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | 27 | 1435 | 65.22 | 98.42 | 6 | 8 | 130 | 24 |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | 29 | 1412 | 52.29 | 119.35 | 2 | 11 | 149 | 75 |
| 4 | KL Rahul | 26 | 1091 | 60.61 | 87.07 | 2 | 7 | 95 | 18 |
| 5 | Shreyas Iyer | 22 | 884 | 46.52 | 111.75 | 3 | 4 | 74 | 32 |
