Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has raised questions on the rumors of Rohit Sharma's ODI retirement, asking if someone is running a campaign against him.
Cardiff | During the second ODI being played in Cardiff, a piece of news created a sensation in the cricket world. This news was about the retirement of Indian team captain and opening batsman Rohit Sharma from ODI cricket.
The news spread like wildfire on social media, causing a stir among fans and cricket experts.
The report claimed that former captain Rohit Sharma would play his last ODI match at Lord's. The reason cited was that the team management does not want to include him in future plans.
Seeing the seriousness of the matter, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devjit Saikia himself came forward to clarify the situation.
He outrightly dismissed these reports, saying that Rohit Sharma is an important part of India's ODI World Cup 2027 plan. He also made it clear that the third ODI against England will not be his last match.
Former Indian cricketer and current commentator Aakash Chopra has given his reaction to this entire episode. He expressed surprise as to why and from where these news stories spread.
Raising a question, Aakash said, "Is someone planting these stories? Is there a campaign running against him?"
Chopra said that it doesn't seem like Rohit Sharma will retire, as he himself has stated that he wants to play the 2027 ODI World Cup.
He quoted Rohit, "I am working hard, look at my fitness." Aakash asked, "So, who are these people spreading the rumours?"
He recalled that Rohit was removed from the captaincy in 2025 because the selectors wanted to go in a different direction. It was clear that if Rohit scores runs, he will remain a part of the ODI team.
Aakash Chopra believes that it would be too early to make any decision on Rohit's future right now. He said that the opener can prove his supremacy again by scoring a century at Lord's.
He mentioned an old incident where some people were criticizing Rohit even when he scored a half-century against Australia in the 2025 ODI series. But, he silenced all critics by scoring an unbeaten century in Sydney.
Chopra said, "If he does something similar, all the debate will end again."
He concluded by saying, "If he scores a century at Lord's, like he did in Australia last year, the conversation will be over. There is still a year and a half to the World Cup. There is no hurry to make a decision. You have more than 40 ODI matches left. This is not his last international match."
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