Rohit Sharma breaks silence on future plans after Champions Trophy as media reports gather pace ahead of England series

Breaking silence about his future plans, India captain Rohit Sharma said his current focus is on the upcoming three ODIs against England and then the Champions Trophy. On the eve of the first ODI against England in Nagpur, Rohit was asked to confirm whether the BCCI has asked him to take a call on his future after the Champions Trophy, as mentioned in The Times of India report published on Wednesday. The India captain denied commenting on that, adding that such reports have been doing rounds for years, and he would not clarify anything related to that. Rohit Sharma during a practice session ahead of first ODI cricket match between India and England, in Nagpur(Snehal Sontakke)

"How is it relevant that I talk about my future plans here?" A slightly irritated Rohit said when asked about the report. "We have three ODIs and Champions Trophy coming in. The reports have been going on for a number of years. I am not here to clarify those reports. For me, right now, these three games and the Champions Trophy are very important. My focus is on these games, we will see what happens afterwards," he added.

The report quoted an anonymous BCCI source, who claimed that during the last selection committee, the officials sought clarity about Rohit's future as the team management has plans for future and they want everyone to be on the same page.

What the report said

"The selectors and people in the board had this discussion with Rohit around the time of the last selection meeting. He has been told that he needs to decide how he wants to plan his future after the Champions Trophy. The team management has certain plans going into the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and the ODI World Cup. They want to ensure everyone is on the same page for a smoother transition," the BCCI source said.

Rohit, India's second-highest scorer in the last ODI World Cup, saw a slump in form in 2024. The Hitman failed to notch up a noteworthy score in his last eight Test matches. He crossed the double-figure mark only five times in his last 15 innings, and only one of those resulted in a half-century.

After his dreadful run at home against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and then Australia, talks about Rohit Sharma's future started to gather momentum. Rohit, in fact, dropped himself from the playing XI for the final Test in Australia, giving rise to speculations about a possible retirement from red-ball cricket. However, on Day 2 of the same Test, Rohit, in an interview with Star Sports, clarified that he had no plans of retiring any time soon.

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