“He scored 138 runs, so why the speculation?” BCCI secretary Saikia on Rohit Sharma's retirement rumours

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has backed Rohit Sharma’s continued role in India’s ODI setup, with board secretary Devajit Saikia pointing to the veteran opener’s recent performances and dismissing speculation over his future.

Rohit, who is now an exclusively ODI player after retiring from Test and T20I cricket, has faced questions over whether he will remain part of India’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup, given that he will turn 40 during the tournament year.

However, Saikia stressed that there was little reason to fuel such speculation, particularly after Rohit’s impressive showing in India’s ODI series against England in July.

“He has been playing superbly in all the matches, so what more do you want? He scored 138 runs in the last match, so why is there any speculation? For now, I don’t want to give any fodder to the speculators,” Saikia told reporters after the BCCI review meeting in Mumbai on Thursday.

Rohit had entered the third ODI at Lord’s amid speculation that the series decider could be his final international appearance for India. Instead, the former captain produced one of his finest recent ODI innings, smashing 138 off 110 balls with 17 fours and five sixes in a 388-run chase.

Although India fell short by 27 runs, Rohit’s innings underlined his ability to continue making a significant impact at the highest level.

He finished the three-match series with 175 runs at an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of 98.31, including a century.

Saikia also clarified that Thursday’s meeting was not a selection meeting but a routine review involving head coach Gautam Gambhir, Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer and ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill.

The discussions centred on India’s performances in England and Ireland, along with preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

“Today, we did not have any selection meeting. It was a routine meeting, like the ones we have every two or three months. We discussed with the head coach, VVS Laxman, who heads cricket at the Centre of Excellence, as well as our T20 captain Shreyas and our Test and ODI captain Shubman,” Saikia said.

“We discussed how the team performed in England and Ireland, and also looked ahead to what we need to do over the next year. A roadmap has been prepared, and we will undertake several exercises and preparations to ensure that we have a very good performance in the 2027 World Cup,” he added.

India has a busy international schedule before the 2027 World Cup, with bilateral series against Afghanistan, the West Indies, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, followed by a five-Test series against Australia and the IPL.

Saikia said the BCCI’s priority will be to use the upcoming assignments to settle India’s best possible combination ahead of the global tournament.

“We have to plan for all these series. Our main intention is to have the best possible team combination in place by next year for the ODI World Cup,” he said.