Rohit Sharma Still Has Unfinished Business

The Hitman still probably hurts over missing World Cup glory in 2011 and his stellar career rightfully deserves one last hurrah at the ODI World Cup.

It seemed that everyone was preparing for Rohit Sharma's last dance at Lord's.

But The Hitman was not ready to give up... not yet.

One of the all-time greats of 50 overs cricket, Rohit, it was reported in The Indian Express, had a few quiet words spoken to him by the BCCI's senior selection committee -- words to the effect that they had decided to 'move on' from him after the ODI series against England, with the 2027 World Cup in mind.

There was a huge uproar in India when the news broke out with fans on a rampage on social media against what they felt was injustice to one of all-time great batters in white ball cricket.

BCCI went into damage control mode as Secretary Devajit Saikia issued a quick denial, insisting that there were no plans to force Rohit into retirement.

But it is evident that there was an attempt to pile pressure on Rohit, with the selectors looking to overhaul the ODI side -- the only format he has been actively playing -- and bring in younger players like Yashasvi Jaiswal.

39-year-old Rohit had managed just 11 and 26 in the first two ODIs against England and the daggers were out in the open.

However, Rohit silenced all his critics in grand style in the third and final ODI, with a blistering 138 from 110 balls, including 17 fours and five sixes, as India kept themselves in the game till the very end despite chasing a huge 388 for victory.

That Rohit was keen on playing the 2027 World Cup is no secret. He had given no indications that he planned to quit the 50 overs game at least till next year's World Cup, instead he looked keen to finish off his career on a high -- by winning the only major trophy that has eluded him in white ball cricket.

Having agonisingly missed out on leading India to the 2023 World Cup title after a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the final in front of home fans in Ahmedabad, Rohit looks doubly determined to complete that one big unfinished business by being part of the ODI World Cup winning team next year in South Africa.

The dream of winning the ODI World Cup -- the ultimate prize in white ball-cricket -- has been burning inside him for the last decade-and-a-half.

The pain of his surprise omission from the Indian team for the 2011 World Cup ignited that fire and ultimately sparked a stunning turnaround, turning Rohit into one of the most destructive batters of all time in white ball cricket.

The Big Setback In 2011

Rohit deserves much credit for not allowing that heartbreak to crush his ambition. He realised that it was he himself who was largely responsible for that setback and vowed to make drastic improvements in his batting and also his attitude towards the game.

'2011 was a big setback year for me, not being part of the World Cup team, I have no one to blame but myself. I worked on my game. Yoga, meditation and living alone helped me a lot.

'I realised something has to change, knew my life was on edge and that if I did not improve, I would not be able to play cricket again. I made a lot of changes to myself between 2014-2015, because I knew I would have nowhere to go otherwise. I had to think about how I could help my team, and take myself to another level. I found the answers to them myself,' Rohit told Jio Cinema in 2023.

His childhood coach Dinesh Lad had a big role in getting Rohit's career back on track after 2011.

"I remember when he was not included for the 2011 ODI World Cup, he was very down. I consoled him and told him that 'You are not giving enough time for the game, that's why you have faced this setback'. The selectors were definitely considering you but your performances were not up to the mark and that is why Virat Kohli was picked ahead of you," Lad had told Rediff.

How Rohit Turned Around His Career

The switch to opening the batting in ODIs in 2013 proved to be the biggest turning point of Rohit's career.

After taking over as the permanent opener in 2013, Rohit's batting underwent an incredible transformation as he amassed 9,779 runs, averaging 55.24 at a strike rate of 96.47, including 31 centuries and 50 fifties.

In November 2013, he blasted his way to a maiden double century in ODIs against Australia in Bengaluru. Exactly a year later, a belligerent Rohit smashed a world record 264 from 173 balls against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata -- making him the first player in the world to score two double centuries in ODIs.

Then in December 2017, he smashed 208 not out from 153 balls against Sri Lanka in Mohali, further cementing his status as one of the greatest ODI openers of all times -

Rohit Dominated In World Cups

Rohit was an absolute monster with the bat when it came to the World Cups.

The stylish right-hander excelled in his maiden ODI World Cup in 2015, when he piled up 330 runs in eight games, with one century and two fifties.

In the next edition of the World Cup in 2019 in England, Rohit proved to be unstoppable with the bat. In nine matches, he smashed a total of five centuries -- the most by a batter in a single edition of the World Cup -- to tally a record 648 runs in nine games at an average of 81.

However, Rohit's incredible batting went in vain in both the World Cups as India were ousted in the semi-finals -- by Australia (2015) and New Zealand (2019) respectively.

He then took over the reins of the team for the next World Cup which was played at home in 2023. He had taken over the captaincy full time in 2021 after the BCCI had dropped Virat Kohli as the ODI skipper following his shocking decision to step down as the India T20I captain.

With Rahul Dravid as the head coach, Rohit led India into the 2023 World Cup at home as the big favourites.

Rohit's fearless attacking approach with the bat benefitted the team massively. After falling for a duck against Australia in the opening game, he stormed back with a cracking 131 from 84 balls against Afghanistan and then hammered a 63-ball 86 against Pakistan.

He ended with 597 runs in the tournament, the highest by a captain in a single edition of the World Cup.

The Indian team proved to be invincible in home conditions, registering 10 straight victories in a row before the heartbreaking loss to Australia in the final.

He somewhat redeemed himself by leading India to the ICC Champions Trophy title in 2025 but his waning form with the bat cost him the India captaincy. He continued to play as a batter as he excelled without the extra burden of captaincy, hitting three fifties and a century in the back to back series against Australia and South Africa.

He was among the top 10 run getters in 2025 with 650 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 100.46, including two centuries and four fifties.

But 2026 didn't start well for Rohit. He failed in the three match series against New Zealand at home in January which the visitors won 2-1, and in the next series against Afghanistan in June he made 143 runs in three games at a strike rate of 115.32 with a highest score of 79 in the third game.

Even though he has worked hard on his fitness in the last few months to stay in shape for that one last tilt at the World Cup next year the runs proved hard to come before his spectacular knock at Lord's.

Rohit's Stellar Captaincy Record

Rohit enjoys a stellar record as the ODI skipper -- only behind the legendary duo of Clive Lloyd and Ricky Ponting, both of whom captained their teams to two World Cup titles.

He led India to victory in 42 out of 56 games for a victory percentage of 75, with only Mahendra Singh Dhoni (110), Mohammad Azharuddin (90), Sourav Ganguly (76) and Virat Kohli (65) ahead of him among India captain with most wins as ODI captains.

Under him, India won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, while bagging the Asia Cup in the ODI format twice in 2018 and 2023.

He also excelled as India's T20 captain guiding them to the T20 World Cup title in 2024, to end their long wait for a World Cup trophy. His record as Mumbai Indians' captain is second to none with five titles in his 11-year spell in charge.

Rohit Deserves One Last Hurrah

There is no doubt that Rohit is among the last of this generation to have mastered the art of batting in 50 overs cricket.

India's domination of white ball cricket in the last 10-12 years perfectly coincided with The Hitman's prime years with the bat.

The thunderous front pull shot off the fast bowlers, the handsome drive through the covers, the heave over midwicket, the languid yet powerful swing of the bat.. Rohit's batting is still a sight to behold.

Rohit still probably hurts over missing the World Cup glory in 2011, and his stellar career rightfully deserves one last hurrah at the ODI World Cup.

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