Veteran Team India opener Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a sluggish 26 off 47 balls against England at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Thursday, July 16 in the second ODI of the three-match series. He hit one four and a six, but played eight dot balls in a row before top-edging an attempted sweep off Will Jacks. The ball lobbed up for a simple catch to keeper Jos Buttler.
As per some media reports, Rohit has been informed by the BCCI that the Men in Blue will move on from him after the third ODI against England at Lord’s on Sunday. Potentially, the match at the iconic cricket stadium in London could end up being the Hitman’s last game for Team India.
In the wake of reports about Rohit’s international career coming to a close, we analyze three reasons why Team India moving on from the former captain after the England ODI series would be the right move.
#1 Too much uncertainty over Rohit Sharma’s possible availability for the 2027 ODI World Cup
Having narrowly missed out on lifting the ODI World Cup at home in 2023, Rohit has openly expressed his desire to be part of the 2027 edition to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. However, it is important for BCCI and the Hitman to keep the emotional angle aside and look at the overall picture, with regards to what’s best for the Indian team heading into the mega ICC event.
The fact of the matter is that due to a combination of factors there is growing uncertainty over whether Rohit will be ready for the 2027 ODI World Cup challenge. The Men in Blue do not want to find themselves in a situation where they are forced to play him even though he may be well past his prime. As such, India moving on from Rohit after the England series would be a sensible move.
The next ODI World Cup is scheduled to be held in October-November 2027. So, if Team India make a change at the top after the England series, Rohit’s replacement will get enough time to cement his place as Shubman Gill’s opening partner. This is not to say that Rohit is not good enough to open for India in the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, there are way too many permutations and combinations at play.
#2 Hitman’s form has clearly dipped over the last year
Unlike Virat Kohli, Rohit’s form has dipped rather significantly over the last year. The opening batter scored 650 runs in 14 innings last year at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 100.46, with two hundreds and four half-centuries. However, since the start of 2026, he has only managed one fifty and has averaged 30.12 in eight innings at a strike rate of 88.60.
Rohit scored 26, 24 & 11 in three innings against New Zealand at the start of the year. The right-handed batter’s only fifty in 2026 came against Afghanistan. Looking beyond just stats, the batter has looked scratchy out in the middle for a while now. In both the ODIs in England so far, the Hitman has been a pale shadow of his normal self.
Age is also not on Rohit’s side, though, to his credit, he has worked really hard on his fitness. The right-handed batter will be 40-plus when the ODI World Cup is played next year. Taking a call on Rohit would have been an extremely tough one for the selectors. But if they indeed have decided to move on from him, then the courageous call is the right one.
#3 Yashasvi Jaiswal deserves a fair chance to stake his claim in the World Cup team
With Rohit and Gill opening the batting for India in ODIs, Yashasvi Jaiswal has had to patiently wait for his chances. And, in the few opportunities that he has received, the southpaw has done all excellent job. If we look at his ODI numbers, the 24-year-old has featured in six matches and has scored 285 runs at an average of 71.25 and a strike rate of 97.60, with the aid of two hundreds.
There are still quite a few ODIs left for India to figure out their combination for the next World Cup. Now is the near perfect time for Team India to give Jaiswal a fair chance to stake his claim as Rohit’s replacement for the ICC event. Any further delay could hamper the Men in Blue’s preparations for the mega event.
Edited by Renin Wilben Albert