Ravi Shastri has backed Rohit Sharma to decide the course of his own international career after the veteran opener responded to speculation about his future with a record-breaking century against England at Lord’s.
Rohit struck 138 from 110 deliveries in the third and deciding ODI, becoming the first Indian batter to register a one-day international hundred at the historic venue. The innings was his 34th century in the format and came after scores of 11 and 26 in the opening two matches of the series.
His performance arrived amid reports questioning whether the 39-year-old remained part of India’s plans through to the 2027 ODI World Cup. Speaking to Sky Cricket, Shastri said, “Rohit didn’t need to prove himself, but he has shut everybody up. When you get those kinds of rumours floating around, it is sometimes irritating. When a player has done that much, he doesn’t have to prove anyone anything.”
The former India Head Coach argued that Rohit’s motivation, preparation and enjoyment of the game should determine how long he continues at international level, rather than the external debate surrounding his position.
“But if he has the desire to play and work hard at his game, and is still enjoying it, I think he should be given the opportunity for as long as he wants. The day will come when he will feel he doesn’t have it in him, he’ll go,” Shastri added.
Rohit’s century not enough to prevent series defeat
Rohit’s innings kept India in contention during a demanding chase after England amassed 387 for three, the highest ODI total recorded at Lord’s.
Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell gave the hosts control through a 192-run opening partnership, with Bethell contributing 91. Joe Root then remained unbeaten on 74, before Jos Buttler’s 13-ball 41 propelled England through a destructive finish.
Root and Buttler added more than 60 runs during the closing three overs, turning an already imposing total into a record target. India conceded 126 runs across the final 10 overs, with Prasidh Krishna taking two wickets for 69 runs as the visiting attack struggled to contain England’s batters.
India began the reply strongly. Rohit and Captain Shubman Gill put on 147 for the first wicket, with Gill scoring 77, before Rohit and Virat Kohli added another 113. Kohli contributed 74 from 60 balls as India advanced to 304 for two and moved within reach of what would have been the highest successful ODI chase at the venue.
The momentum shifted when India lost three wickets for 12 runs. Sam Curran led England’s recovery with four wickets, while Jofra Archer removed KL Rahul as the hosts regained control during the closing stages.
India finished on 360 for seven, falling 27 runs short as England secured the series 2-1. Despite the defeat, Rohit’s 138 surpassed his unbeaten 137 at Trent Bridge in 2018 as the highest ODI score by an Indian batter against England in England.
Rohit dismisses speculation over India future
Rohit’s century placed renewed attention on his international future, but the former India Captain maintained that outside discussion had not altered his responsibilities within the team.
“Look, my job is with the bat. Come and play, represent my country, represent the team. That’s what I’ve been told since I made my debut, so that’s what I am going to do,” Rohit told BCCI.tv after the match.
His focus, he said, remained on his performances and his contribution to India rather than the commentary surrounding his place in the side.
“The noise, since I made my debut, has been there. And [will stay] until I am going to stay here. So, it doesn’t really matter too much. What matters is what I do on the field. Try to contribute to the team’s success. That’s all where my focus is right now,” Rohit added.
The opener also presented the scrutiny as an unavoidable part of playing international cricket, saying, “Let the noise be there. If there’s no noise, there’s no fun. My job is inside; their job is outside. That’s how I look at it.”
Shukla backs India’s team combination
While Rohit, Kohli and Gill led a strong batting response, England’s late acceleration ultimately created a margin India could not overcome.
BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who was present with the team in London, pointed to the closing stages of England’s innings while assessing the series-deciding defeat.
“Today’s match was certainly a hard-fought one, there’s no doubt about that. They ended up scoring too many runs, they made 60 runs in the last three overs, and that was a bit of a shortcoming. Otherwise, our batsmen also put up a fantastic performance, especially our veteran icons, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma,” Shukla told ANI.
The result completed another difficult series for India, but Shukla maintained that the composition of the side remained sound and highlighted the contributions of its leading batters.
“They proved once again that they are strong batsmen and still have the power in them. In my opinion, the biggest highlights today were the batting of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, followed by Shubman Gill. So, I feel the team combination is good and everything is fine. However, they just scored more runs, which is why we had to face this struggle,” he added.
India’s recent results increase pressure
Shukla’s support for the team comes against the backdrop of a difficult sequence of results under Head Coach Gautam Gambhir.
India’s setbacks have extended across formats. They lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years, surrendered the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade and failed to reach the World Test Championship final for the first time.
At home, New Zealand ended India’s 12-year unbeaten run in Test series and became the first visiting side to complete a 3-0 Test whitewash in the country. India were also dismissed for fewer than 50 runs in a home Test for the first time during that series.
South Africa subsequently won a Test series in India for the first time in 25 years, a contest that included India’s heaviest defeat in the format, by 408 runs. The result also meant India had been whitewashed in home Test series in consecutive calendar years for the first time.
The difficulties have continued in limited-overs cricket. India suffered their first home ODI series defeat to New Zealand, recorded their first-ever international defeat against Ireland before being whitewashed 2-0 in that series, and were also whitewashed in a bilateral T20I series of three or more matches for the first time, with England completing a 4-0 victory after the opening fixture of the five-match series was washed out.
The 2-1 ODI defeat at Lord’s was India’s first bilateral series loss to England in the format since 2018. It also added to the scrutiny surrounding the team’s bowling resources, particularly in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, after England produced a record total at the venue.
Rohit’s century offered India a major individual positive from the deciding match, but the result ensured the broader debate around the team’s performances, selection and direction would continue beyond the tour.
