Rohit Sharma continues to go from strength to strength, and the debate about his place in the ODI playing XI seems to be coming to an end. The right-handed batter has been the subject of intense scrutiny ever since he retired from Tests, and earlier this year, several media reports suggested he might play his last international match for India at Lord’s, as the selectors wanted to go with Yashasvi Jaiswal for the 2027 World Cup. However, the Hitman answered back with a century in the third and final ODI against England, and since then, he has further recorded scores of 101 and 92 against the West Indies.
The former India captain is all but set to board the plane for the World Cup next year unless something dramatic happens in the next few series, starting with the five-match contest against New Zealand next month. More than his century in the second ODI against the Windies, it was his 92 in Mullanpur that had its worth in gold, as the knock came when the ball was moving a bit initially.
Rohit saw the tough phase out and then accelerated, looking set for his 36th ODI ton. However, he ended up losing his wicket against the run of play. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was left disappointed that the right-hander did not get a century, as he wants the experienced batter to have more centuries than his age by the time he’s done with his international career.
“The reason I was disappointed with Rohit getting out on 92 is that he didn’t get a hundred, and he might possibly quit international cricket after the end of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027. And at that particular point in time, when he decides to call it a day, I personally would like Rohit to have more ODI hundreds than his age,” Gavaskar said on the Star Sports Network.
“Had he gotten a century in the third ODI, he would have moved closer to achieving that feat with his 36th hundred. For me, it’s a special thing when a player’s hundreds outnumber his age at retirement. It shows the kind of career they have had and the standard they have kept for so many years,” he added.
‘Reach the mark’
Rohit, who’ll be 40 when the World Cup starts next year, currently has 35 centuries in ODI cricket. Gavaskar then further gave his example, saying he too wanted to have more tons than his age when he retired, but it wasn’t to be, as he got out in the 90s on three occasions.
“That is why I really want Rohit to reach that mark. In my last year of international cricket, I wanted to score as many Test centuries as my age, and I got out in the 90s three times. If I’d got those hundreds, then my centuries would have matched the age of my retirement, which was 38,” said Gavaskar.
In the last four ODIs, Rohit has come up with two centuries and two fifties, shutting the outside noise and silencing the critics. The right-hander will next be seen in action in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand, beginning November 4.
