The 42-year-old former Indian pace bowler Ashok Dinda recalled the great moments he shared with Rohit Sharma during his playing days. The bowler made his India debut in 2009 when the batter was also a relatively new member of the side with two years of experience. The bowler played his final India game in 2013, by which time the Mumbai-based batter was already one of the team’s most established players.

After rumors of Rohit’s retirement began coming through, the pacer in his chat with ANI said, “He is a massive player, and we had played a few matches together for India, practically started our national careers together. Since then, Sharma has helped India win so many games, earned the ‘Hitman’ nickname and even a World Cup.”

“If he does retire, Iwill want to congratulate him, though India will miss him. Have so many good memories with him. I played PlayStation games together, have shopped with him, gone for drives, and even danced at his wedding,” he added.

Indian selectors are again in the eye of the storm

It has been turbulent times for the Indian selectors, who have been questioned on a lot of decisions. Rohit’s removal from ODI captaincy after winning the Champions Trophy didn’t sit well with fans. It was India’s second ICC title in just nine months, but Shubman Gill was handed the ODI captaincy in late 2025.

Suryakumar Yadav was also removed from captaincy and lost his spot in the T20I side. The 35-year-old was axed from the squad, with the selectors saying they wanted to look ahead to the 2028 LA Olympics and the T20 World Cup. After being unbeaten for close to three years, theteam under Shreyas Iyer has lost two successive series.

There is also Sanju Samsonwho was the Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup. The 31-year-old endured a sluggish start to the UK tour and was promptly dropped from the playing XI ahead of the Manchester game. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was given a chance to debut, and the player was part of the next three games.

Samson was included for the final T20I in Southampton in place of the Rajasthan Royals star. Many people questioned the selection process with the Chennai Super Kings star batter being dropped for the Zimbabwe T20I series. It will be interesting to see what happens after the third ODI as Indian cricket faces its biggest challenge both on and off the field.