There’s a massive possibility that we might see Rohit Sharma for the very last time in India colors when he steps onto the field at the iconic Lord’s Stadium on Sunday. After his poor knock in the second ODI in Cardiff, reports stated clearly that the Indian management is looking ahead of Rohit in ODIs. The social media is buzzing and now to amp up the rumours, we have another news coming in.
As per Crex, Rohit Sharma’s parents, Gurunath and Purnima Sharma, have arrived in London as well. Rohit’s parents, who aren’t usually seen in stadiums, will be reportedly present in the third one-day international against England, which will also be the series-decider. Rumours are rife that the selectors want a youngster like Yashasvi Jaiswal in the team and have had enough with Rohit. However, the former Indian captain wants to contribute more and eyes playing in the ODI World Cup 2027.
IND vs ENG 3rd ODI to be Rohit Sharma’s last?
IndianExpress broke the report during the Cardiff ODI that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee wants to give Jaiswal enough chances and make him ready for the World Cup which will be played in September next year. Although Rohit has been India’s first-choice opener alongisde captain Shubman Gill for the longest time, Hitman’s performances in recent times have been ordinary.
Despite scoring a fifty against Afghanistan last month, Rohit averages just 35 in his last 11 innings. Meanwhile, all the other Indian top-order players are in much better form than him. Jaiswal scoring two hundreds in his previous three outings hasn’t done Rohit a favour as well. And on Thursday, Rohit looked massively rusty and in bad form. Now, with Rohit’s parents also coming to watch the third ODI, it is hard to look past the rumours.
“Rohit Sharma had been told during the India vs England ODIs, that the Indian selectors are not looking at him from 2027 World Cup standpoint and this could be his last international series. “Rohit Sharma’s parents have already reached London and will be present at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground to watch the final ODI of the IND vs ENG series,” the crex report said.
Most ODI runs for India (since Nov 2025)
| Player | Inns | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 8 | 612 | 87.42 | 109.67 | 3/2 |
| Shubman Gill | 7 | 484 | 96.80 | 114.42 | 1/4 |
| Rohit Sharma | 11 | 387 | 35.18 | 95.79 | 0/3 |
| KL Rahul | 8 | 308 | 77.00 | 127.80 | 1/2 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 5 | 270 | 90.00 | 100.00 | 2/0 |
Rohit Sharma’s downfall as ODI opener
Rohit Sharma has already said goodbye to two formats. He walked away from T20Is on June 29, 2024, after leading India to the T20 World Cup title at Kensington Oval. Then in May 2025, he posted on Instagram to announce his retirement from Test cricket as well. It came after he endured a horrible Test series in Australia.
Now the big question is about ODIs. If the third ODI against England at Lord’s ends up being his last in the 50-over format, it would close out one of India’s greatest ODI careers ever. In 286 ODIs he has scored 11,731 runs at an average of 48.67. That includes 32 hundreds and 58 fifties. He also still owns the record for the highest individual score in ODI history, 264.
As captain he took India all the way to the 2023 ODI World Cup final, a match that was supposed to go his way but didn’t. Everything would’ve fallen into piece (read peace) had India managed to beat Australia on November 19. But things have looked a little different since he gave up the captaincy.
He returned to ODIs in October 2025 after a 10-month break, but this time only as a batter. Since then his powerplay strike rate has dropped to 84.45. Between January 2023 and the Champions Trophy in 2025, it was over 120. It makes sense to an extent. When you’re not setting the tone for the whole team, your job and your mindset change. There’s also the constant talk about Jaiswal waiting for a spot at the top. And after 19 years of international cricket, it’s natural that some of that early sharpness isn’t quite the same anymore
| Player | Career Span | Career Length |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 1989–2013 | 24 years, 1 day |
| Mohinder Amarnath | 1969–1989 | 19 years, 310 days |
| Rohit Sharma* | 2007–2026 | 19 years, 23 days |
| Lala Amarnath | 1933–1952 | 19 years |
| Ashish Nehra | 2001–2017 | 18 years, 250 days |
Cricket
Rohit Sharma's retirement rumours gets strengthened with Hitman's parents' arrival at Lord's
