 "Rohit Sharma's ODI future has been a subject of speculation for a while. Image: Reuters")
Irfan Pathan has revealed that Rohit Sharma has no plans to retire from ODI cricket as the Indian cricket team captain amid rumours that he could bid farewell after the series in Australia in October. All sorts of rumours are floating around, but the biggest explosion occurred when a report claimed Rohit and Virat Kohli will be asked to retire from ODIs after the Australia ODI series .
Both Rohit and Kohli have retired from T20Is and Tests, and would be 40 and 39, respectively, by the time the 2027 ODI World Cup comes around. As a result, the BCCI is reportedly planning to move on and look at youngsters to replace the legends, the report claimed.
Another report added that Shreyas Iyer could soon be given the captaincy in the ODIs in place of Rohit, which also points towards the possibility of the veteran soon losing his place in the ODI team.
‘Rohit is very keen to continue playing’
Rohit’s former teammate Irfan Pathan, however, has clarified that the opener wants to continue playing for India and hinted that the batter is aiming to win the World Cup for India in 2027.
“I had a long chat with him about his future plans. He’s very keen to continue playing. Every player wants that, especially someone like him who has done so well,” Pathan said. “He’s been a fantastic leader and one of our greatest in white-ball cricket. We all remember the heartbreak of the 2023 World Cup final, especially for him. Those emotions matter, but he still wants to carry on and make his mark going forward.”
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Pathan, however, added a word of caution as he said that the ageing players, who have retired from other formats, would need to make sure that they remain match fit.
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More Shorts“As long as the players are fit, age doesn’t really matter. The real challenge will be getting enough game time before the 2027 World Cup. There are going to be long gaps in ODI cricket until then—2025 is ongoing, 2026 will come, and then 2027…
“Playing for India has never been about motivation for players like Rohit, Virat, or Shami—that will always be there. The issue is purely about how much cricket they get to play, especially since they’ve retired from Tests and T20Is. If they manage to stay fit and overcome the challenge of limited game time, I don’t see any reason why they can’t continue until the 2027 World Cup,” Pathan added during a roundtable with journalists that was arranged by the Sony Sports Network.