Former India captain Rohit Sharma could announce his retirement from international cricket after the 3rd ODI vs England at Lord’s on Sunday.
Published: July 17, 2026, 12:09 PM IST
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Rohit Sharma (right) is set to announce his ODI retirement on Sunday. (Photo: IANS)
IND vs ENG 2026 3rd ODI: Shubman Gill’s Team India are getting ready to face England in the third and final ODI at the Lord’s in London on Sunday with the three-match series on line. The series is currently level at 1-1 after England’s four-wicket win in the second ODI in Cardiff. But there is a bigger talking point heading into the game with former India captain Rohit Sharma possibly set to retire from international cricket after the game.
According to media reports, Rohit Sharma has been informed by the BCCI selectors that they will be looking beyond him after the England series in the lead up to the ICC ODI World Cup 2027. The selectors are believe to be looking at Yashasvi Jaiswal as the Indian opener to partner captain Shubman Gill at the top.
The 39-year-old Mumbai Indians opener has been having a lacklustre series in England with scores of 11 and 26 in the first two ODI matches this week. Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, however, came out and spoke in support of the Indian opener amid his retirement rumours.
Rohit was dismissed for 26 off 47 balls on Thursday as India went down by four wickets in Cardiff, allowing England to level the series. “I don’t think a player of Rohit’s calibre will come under any kind of pressure. He’s too good a player to feel that,” said Kotak during the post-match press conference in Cardiff on Thursday.
The commentary panel is talking about Rohit’s retirement, with Ravi Shastri praising his incredible journey as a captain and a player.#RohitSharma #ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/060kIi9mvX
— Dr. Deepthi Rao (@RekhaS1990) July 16, 2026
“Yes, he didn’t make runs in the two matches but I don’t think that makes any difference. Today also, it looked like he’ll probably get a good inning out. But that’s okay,” the Indian batting coach replied.
“So, I wouldn’t use the word he was struggling but maybe the shots he normally plays on the up and all, which is because of the double bounce. Probably he felt it wasn’t comfortable.”
Former Saurashtra batter Kotak said that even the best of batters take time to find their rhythm in foreign conditios. “I’ve played lot of cricket and I’ve seen lot of cricket. On a day there are a lot of batters that I’ve seen they don’t get that momentum they’re looking for and that can happen. You might see a completely different innings from Rohit Sharma at Lord’s (third and final ODI of the series on Sunday),” Kotak said.
Rohit is only playing in ODI format of the game after retiring from T20I cricket after winning the T20 World Cup 2024 and quit Test cricket in 2025.
“Shubman got a quick start in first ODI, Virat got a quick start but Rohit probably didn’t get that start (and) he didn’t get going. That’s what I felt. I’ve seen that happening to a lot of batters, not just Rohit, so I wouldn’t use the word he was struggling,” Kotak said about Rohit.
The Indian batting coach added that the pitch at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff was possibly two-paced to start with. “I felt the fuller deliveries came on nicely to the bat, but the back-of-a-length balls were holding up a bit and bouncing slightly more in the first innings. In the second innings, though, they weren’t getting up as much,” Kotak felt.
