Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes there was more to the rumours, triggered by a media report, claiming Rohit Sharma was no longer in India’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. And despite the BCCI‘s attempts to shut down the speculation, Ashwin insisted there was “fire” behind the smoke, before Rohit reaffirmed his place with a commanding 138 in the third ODI against England at Lord’s.
The speculation began after a report claimed the third ODI against England could potentially be Rohit’s final appearance in international cricket. Having already retired from T20Is in June 2024 and Tests in May last year, Rohit’s sole focus was believed to be ending his international career after the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, the report claimed he was no longer the preferred choice for India’s 50-over plans, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir backing Yashasvi Jaiswal to take over the opening slot.
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The rumours spread like wildfire across social media before BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia categorically denied them, insisting the Lord’s ODI would not be Rohit’s farewell. But Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel, maintained that such reports rarely emerge without reason.
“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,” he said.
While the speculation raged off the field, Rohit responded in the best possible manner. The India captain rolled back the years with a vintage 138 off 110 deliveries, becoming the first Indian batter to score an ODI century at Lord’s.
Ashwin felt the innings was only a glimpse of what Rohit is still capable of, arguing that the veteran opener is still working his way back after the injury he suffered during the latter stages of IPL 2026, which forced him to miss a few matches for the Mumbai Indians.
“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.
Although the rumours centred only around Rohit, Ashwin also threw his weight behind Virat Kohli, insisting India’s two senior-most batters still deserve their place in the ODI side if they wish to continue.
“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 next return to ODI action against the West Indies at home, with the three-match series scheduled to begin on September 27.
