Rohit Sharma is set to play his final ODI at the prestigious Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on Sunday, reports The Indian Express. After that, there have been several reports suggesting the possible retirement of Rohit Sharma from the 50-over format of the game.
It is being said that Rohit Sharma is not happy with the way the selectors are planning to proceed with the opening batsman, as he still wants to continue playing in the ODI format. He has been one of the greatest white-ball opening batsmen for India over the years. In this article, we explore five reasons why Rohit Sharma should not be dropped from India’s ODI team. Before that, see 7 reasons for dropping Rohit Sharma from India’s ODI team.
1. Rohit Sharma is one of India’s biggest match-winners in ODI cricket
The former captain of India has single-handedly won matches for India in ODI cricket. He fearlessly changed the dynamics of cricket and gave India blazing starts in ODIs and T20Is. During this process, he took command of the team and attacked the bowlers from the very first ball.
Before taking up the leadership role, everyone in the cricket world knew that the 39-year-old opening batsman would take his time to settle down at the crease and then attack the bowlers and score ‘Daddy Hundred’ in ODI cricket.
He is the only batsman to score three double centuries in this format and also holds the record for the highest individual score in this format. Rohit scored 264* against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in 2014.
Rohit Gurunath Sharma has a good record opening the innings for India since 2013. He is ranked as the 7th highest run scorer in the 50 over format with 11757 runs. He holds the record for most runs as an opening batsman for India across all formats (Test, ODI and T20I) with 16,137 runs, including 9,727* runs as an ODI opener.
2. Rohit Sharma’s leadership experience will help Shubman Gill, India cannot replace his experience overnight.
Rohit has led India well during his captaincy tenure, especially in ODIs; He led the Men in Blue to the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 without losing a single game till the final against Australia. He has led India in 56 matches, winning 42 and losing only 12, with one match tied and the other no result.
His leadership experience has been helpful and will also be helpful to current India ODI captain Shubman Gill, who took over the captaincy after Rohit won the ICC Champions Trophy. Since Gill is young and bound to make mistakes, Rohit can help the current captain and share his experience in the years to come, and this will not be done in a month or so; It will take time.
For example, when Kohli took over the captaincy from MS Dhoni, Dhoni was seen guiding Virat in the white-ball formats and he played under Kohli’s captaincy for many years, which helped the former develop as a good leader for India. The change of experience did not happen overnight; It took many years to make Virat a good ODI captain. Similarly, Rohit should remain consistent with overseas and ICC events in mind.
3. Yashasvi Jaiswal is still not ready
Yashasvi Jaiswal has performed brilliantly in ODIs whenever he has got a chance. The southpaw has scored runs in this format and is demanding a place in the ODI team as well. He made his debut against England last year but played only one match. After that, he played in the South Africa series when Gill was injured; However, scored one century in three matches.
Against Afghanistan, he played two matches in which he scored centuries; Then, he was dropped when Virat Kohli returned for the England ODI series. The southpaw’s fearless attitude has caught the attention of selectors and fans as well, but ODI cricket presents a completely different challenge.
Although Jaiswal is the frontrunner to replace Rohit Sharma, the BCCI should continue to give him experience in the 50-over format and not force him into one of the most important positions in the team just because there is a vacancy and he has performed well in the three matches.
4. Now leaving out Rohit Sharma can spoil the atmosphere of the Indian team.
For a senior player like Rohit, the dressing room of the current Indian team respects and admires the former Indian captain a lot. He has been a team leader with a natural leadership style on and off the field and his ability to handle pressure has played a vital role in helping India achieve many successes in the past.
If the change happens automatically, it doesn’t affect the atmosphere of the team, but like now, Rohit being dropped from the team by the selectors will hurt the team with the ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia just 15 months away. After a bad series, senior players will also be insecure and fear that they will not get support, which is what Rohit has at the moment.
5. Rohit Sharma’s improvement in fitness shows he is ready for the 2027 World Cup
Rohit Sharma, who had fitness problems a few years ago, has worked on his fitness after the 2025 Champions Trophy win. He underwent a remarkable fitness transformation, he reportedly lost around 11 to 20 kg, from around 95 kg to 75 kg, which displayed his amazing determination and hard work to play the game.
Rohit Sharma lost weight through a rigorous three-month diet that included intense high-rep gym workouts and strict dietary changes. After his weight loss, many former cricketers and experts praised him. Rohit did this only to play the ODI World Cup 2027 and keep himself fit till the tournament.
Despite suffering a hamstring injury during the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL), he made a quick recovery at the Center of Excellence (CoE) and was declared fully fit to play the Afghanistan series and England series. After losing weight, the 39-year-old has been impressive and sharp on the field as well, which shows his approach to playing in the upcoming ICC competition.
