Former India spinner R Ashwin hinted that there was more to the rumors that Rohit Sharma had lost favor with the selectors, before the third and final ODI of India’s tour to England. Although it was in a losing effort as India was unable to chase 388 in the series final, Rohit became the first Indian hitter to make an ODI century at Lord’s by smashing 138 off 110 balls.
Before the third ODI at Lord’s, there were several rumors that it would be Sharma’s final match; the opener was supposedly told before the series. Additionally, it was said that Sharma had retaliated against head coach Virat Kohli and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.
However, two days prior to the ODI, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia dispelled the rumors, declaring that Rohit Sharma will not be playing in India’s final ODI. But Ashwin thinks that without fire, smoke would not have been possible.
“See, when the news of Rohit Sharma’s potential retirement broke. Okay, you call it outside noise. I won’t call it that. There is a saying in Tamil: ‘There is no smoke without fire’. There was fire, but he scored runs. He showed he can do it. In his mind, I don’t think there is any doubt that he can play the 2027 World Cup,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin gave Rohit credit for his valiant century, stating that the opener was possibly dealing with the aftermath of an injury in addition to the outside noise. During the 2026 Indian Premier League season, Sharma sustained an injury that kept him out of action for five games. Ashwin contended that Rohit could have dominated England at Lord’s if he had been fully fit.
“I feel that this is Rohit’s road to a comeback after an injury. If he were in a slightly better state or were more confident, he could have scored 180 and won the match for the team. I felt like Rohit was in really good form,” Ashwin said.
Rohit Sharma’s and Virat Kohli’s spots for the 2027 ODI World Cup have not yet been confirmed by the Indian team administration. With his incredible form, Kohli has virtually established himself as an automatic pick.
Although Rohit has been inconsistent since surrendering the ODI captaincy to Shubman Gill, his century at Lord’s—India’s maiden in the format at the storied venue—should help quell speculation over his future.
“They cannot touch Virat and Rohit if they want to play. It is because of their credentials. Rohit has scored almost 12,000 runs; they cannot touch him. The other thing is that they are batters, and if you touch them, they have an army. People come to see them. If you drop them, it will just break the roof down,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
India will play their next ODI series against the West Indies at home. The three-match series is scheduled to begin on September 27.
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