BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed speculation over Rohit Sharma’s international future on Friday, stating the 39-year-old will continue to represent India after Sunday’s series-deciding third ODI against England at Lord’s.
“There are a lot of speculations going on in 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. In other words, Lord’s ODI wont be his last match.”
Devajit Saikia, BCCI Secretary, to ANI, July 17, 2026
STORY | BCCI rubbishes speculation about Rohit Sharma, says he will continue to play after Lords ODI
The BCCI on Friday rubbished speculation about Rohit Sharma’s future, stating he will continue to play for India after the series-deciding third and final ODI against England at… pic.twitter.com/4iGOvaSxpo
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 17, 2026
The statement is the first official BCCI response since reports emerged that India’s senior selection committee, along with head coach Gautam Gambhir, had met with Rohit before the series and communicated that he was no longer part of their plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. According to The Indian Express, the selectors intend to build around younger openers, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, and left the decision on retirement to Rohit himself.
Multiple reports indicate Rohit’s parents have traveled to London ahead of Sunday’s match, a detail that added considerable weight to the retirement conversation across Indian media.
Rohit’s form in the series has done little to quieten things. He scored 11 off 21 balls in the first ODI at Edgbaston before managing 26 off 47 in Cardiff, his slowest ODI innings for any score above 25. He attempted to sweep Will Jacks and edged through to Jos Buttler in the 18th over. England chased India’s 233 comfortably, winning by four wickets with 35 balls remaining to level the series at 1-1.
Insider Read:
A BCCI Secretary making a public statement about one specific player’s future is not routine. Boards do not do this for players who are clearly in the scheme of things. When it happens, it is worth reading what was actually said, and what was deliberately left unsaid.
Saikia did not say Rohit is in India’s 2027 World Cup plans. He did not say the selectors have not spoken to Rohit about the future. He said Rohit will continue “as long as he is in the scheme of things.” That conditional phrase is doing all the work. The selectors have already communicated that Rohit is no longer in the scheme of things for the next cycle. Saikia’s statement does not contradict that. It refuses to confirm it publicly, because that is not the board’s job to announce.
Indian cricket has always handled its senior players this way. When the internal decision has been made and a player has given everything to the country, the board does not strip the moment away from them. They give the player the space to walk away at a time and place of his choosing. The parents in London, the silence from Rohit himself, the careful phrasing from the board secretary: these all point in the same direction. The board is not protecting Rohit’s place in the team. It is protecting his right to make this announcement on his own terms.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak reinforced the public backing after the Cardiff defeat, saying two difficult games had not changed his view of what Rohit is capable of.
“I don’t think a player as big as Rohit can feel the pressure. He’s too good a player to feel that. Yes he hasn’t scored in two games. I don’t think that makes any difference. But today also it looked like he’ll get a good innings but that’s okay [that he didn’t get a big score].”
Sitanshu Kotak, India batting coach, post-match press conference, Cardiff, July 16, 2026
Former India player Madan Lal added that any decision on the matter would be Rohit’s alone to make, calling it a personal call that no one else should rush.
India and England meet at Lord’s on Sunday with the series level. Whatever Rohit decides beyond this match, the board has made one thing clear: they will not decide it for him.
UPDATE July 19, 2026
Saikia’s denial aged quickly. Less than 24 hours after the BCCI secretary told PTI there had been no discussions about Rohit’s retirement, Rohit walked out at Lord’s and scored 138 from 110 balls in a chase that fell 27 runs short. India lost the series 2-1. No announcement followed.
The official position still holds: Rohit has not retired from ODI cricket. Whether he features in the Zimbabwe series and beyond is a question the BCCI has not answered publicly. For now, a century at Lord’s is where the story pauses.
Sources:
- @PTI_News, X, July 17, 2026 — X (PTI)
