Rohit Sharma dismisses retirement speculation, says outside noise doesn’t matter

Rohit Sharma dismissed speculation about his future after India's ODI series defeat to England, saying external criticism has never affected him. The former captain also urged patience with India's young bowlers and praised his enduring partnership with Virat Kohli.

New Delhi: Former India captain Rohit Sharma brushed aside speculation surrounding his future after England clinched the three-match ODI series 2-1 with a 27-run victory in the deciding third ODI at Lord’s, insisting that external noises have never distracted him from contributing to the team’s success.

Reflecting on the constant scrutiny that has followed him throughout his career, Rohit made it clear that his focus remains unchanged despite the conversations surrounding his future.

---

“My job is with the bat. Come and play, represent my country, represent the team. And that’s what I’ve been told to do since I made my debut. So, that’s what I’m going to do. You know, the noise since I made my debut was there. And till the time I’m going to stay here, it’s always going to be there. So, it doesn’t really matter too much. What matters is what I do on the field. Try and contribute to the success of the team. That’s all my focus is right now. And let the noise be there. You know, if there’s no noise, there’s no fun. My job is inside; their job is outside. So, that’s how I look at it,” Rohit said in a video shared by BCCI.

Rohit’s remarks came after he produced a magnificent 138 at Lord’s, the first ODI century by an Indian batter at the iconic venue, but his effort was not enough to prevent England from defending 387 and sealing the series. Despite the personal milestone, he admitted that the outcome left him dissatisfied as India failed to complete what would have been a record chase.

“A little disappointed with the result because I thought we were playing really good cricket. You know, how we started in Birmingham, we played some really good cricket. We fell a little short at Cardiff with the bat, actually. It was not enough score on the board. And then here, again, there was a massive total to chase. We tried everything we could with the bat, but again fell 20-25 runs short with the bat.

“When it comes to bowling, you’ve got to understand these guys haven’t played a lot of ODI cricket. You’ve got to give them some time. But yeah, hopefully we can learn from this game. Take it into our stride. Make sure when we come across a situation like that, we try and better ourselves,” he stated.

While acknowledging that India’s relatively inexperienced bowling attack endured a difficult outing, Rohit urged patience and stressed that the series should serve as a learning experience for the group rather than a setback.

The 39-year-old also spoke about his long-standing batting partnership with Virat Kohli after the duo once again shared a crucial stand during India’s chase. Rohit and Kohli have scored more than 8,000 runs together in ODIs, making them the second most successful duo in century partnerships in ODI history. They achieved their 21st century partnership on Sunday Lord’s, second in the all-time list below Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly (26).

Additionally, they became the first Indian pair to play 400 international matches together. Having spent nearly two decades together in international cricket, Rohit said their understanding continues to be one of the team’s strengths.

“We played our entire career together. So, you know, it was nice to have him in the middle. We’ve had a lot of partnerships. It’s always fun batting together. We understand each other so much. And yeah, it’s always nice in the middle, bouncing off ideas, try and see what we can do. So, there was a lot of conversation that was going around in between when we were batting,” Rohit expressed.

Although the series ended in disappointment, the top-order batter reiterated his affection for playing in English conditions, describing the challenge of touring England as one of the most rewarding experiences for any cricketer.

“Yeah, look, I love playing in England. There’s no doubt about it. The atmosphere, the ground, the pitches. When you turn up here to play any sort of format, it challenges you in different ways. And that’s what, as a cricketer, you want. You want to be challenged all the time. And yeah, I had my time in the middle. I enjoyed it. But again, like I said, a little disappointed with the result.

“We couldn’t finish off the game and get the result in our favour. But yeah, we have to move on from this and try and see how we can get better. And see what better we can do as a group. Not just individuals. It’s about the group. The collective effort from the group is needed. And that’s what I think the team should be focusing on,” the 39-year-old mentioned.