Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
Rohit Sharma is not on audition in the ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan, but the series in England next month would be important, it is learnt.
The former India skipper looked good during his run-a-ball 16 in the first ODI in Dharamsala on Saturday despite being hit on the hand in the first over by a delivery from Azmatullah Omarzai. He was unfortunate to be run-out and it was apparently down to poor communication from his opening partner and captain Shubman Gill. From Gill’s perspective, there could be a mitigating factor and he spoke about the run-out after the game. As regards Rohit’s fitness after taking the blow, there’s no mention about it from the team yet. It could be assumed that he would be okay for the second ODI in Lucknow on Wednesday. A final confirmation, though, is expected at the pre-match press conference tomorrow.
Between October 2025 and the first ODI against Afghanistan, Rohit, who now plays only one format in international cricket, has featured in 10 ODIs, scoring 425 runs, including a century, at an average of 47.22. This is very much in sync with his career average (over 283 games) of 48.71. So the form is not a problem despite a fallow ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year where he scored 60 runs in three innings. It’s more about his fitness.
At 39 years and 44 days, Rohit became the oldest Indian cricketer to play an ODI. He sustained a hamstring injury during the 2026 IPL that saw him miss six matches. He played as an Impact Player for Mumbai Indians after returning from the injury. Post-IPL he went to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bangalore and got fitness clearance before joining the ODI squad. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar had earlier said that players like Rohit and Virat Kohli weren’t judged on a series-to-series basis, but Yashasvi Jaiswal is snapping at the veteran opener’s heels. So, Rohit will have to perform.
The Agarkar-led selection committee, in conjunction with head coach Gautam Gambhir, doesn’t hesitate to be ruthless. The way the Test careers of Rohit and Kohli end, the former’s unceremonious removal from the ODI captaincy on the heels of winning the Champions Trophy and very recently Suryakumar Yadav’s ouster as T20I skipper despite leading the team to the T20 World Cup triumph — there have been plenty of examples of how this selection committee works. If Rohit wants to play the 2027 World Cup, he will have to keep performing. The three ODIs in England are on July 14, 16 and 19 in Birmingham, Cardiff and London (Lord’s) respectively.
Coming back to the run-out in the first ODI against Afghanistan, Gill told the host broadcaster: “Rohit saw the replay and said it’s fine about the run-out.” All’s well that ends well.
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