Rohit Sharma hogged the headlines in the last few days after a report emerged that the batter was set to retire. The report carried by Indian Express stated that the batter is not in the selectors’ plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup and the game on Sunday at Lord’s could be his last.

Former India batter Aakash Chopra has named Yashasvi Jaiswal as the right candidate to replace the 39-year-old. He also said that the Mumbai Indians star might not retire from the format and will want to play the 2027 WC. Chopra on his YouTube channel said, “One cannot look beyond Jaiswal as Rohit’s replacement. There is no better candidate than him. He has scored ODI centuries against Afghanistan and South Africa and done well in the chances given to him.”

“If Yashasvi is scoring runs, then he has to be kept in the team. It doesn’t look like Rohit is going to retire. Headlines have changed. First, it was said that Lord’s will be his final game, and now the second headline says that the batter wants to keep playing and the team management has decided not to pick him,” he added.

Indian cricket board ends all speculations

All such rumors were dismissed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Friday, who said the veteran batter was still in selectors’ plans.

In his chat with PTI, Mr Saikia said, “There are a lot of speculations going on in the media about Rohit Sharma’s future. I want to firmly assert that there has been no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match at Lord’s on Sunday. Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team, and he will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things.”

The batter himself hasn’t helped the cause with just 37 runs from the first two ODI matches.

After falling for 11 runs in the opening ODI, the veteran star scored 26 runs in the second match. Once known for his dominating and carefree performances, the last few months have seen Rohit bat cautiously. He struggled in Cardiff and was eventually dismissed by Will Jacks while attempting to play a sweep.