Home
Former India cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar lashed out at Rohit Sharma's retirement rumors. There were several rumours at during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 that Rohit will announce his international retirement after the mega event. However, Rohit denied all the rumors after India won the tournament. Vengsarkar believes that greats like Rohit deserve time and space to decide on their future.
The 37-year-old Rohit has not yet committed to the 2027 ODI World Cup but Vengsarkar reckons his presence can only be good for the team.
"I am not an astrologer. A lot of matches to go till the 2027 World Cup. A lot will depend on his form and fitness. It is not fair to say anything at this stage but he has been outstanding as both captain and player.
"I don't know why people speculated (on his retirement), it's unwarranted. A player of his stature should get to decide about his future," Vengsarkar told PTI.
Both in ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and in Champions Trophy, Rohit performed in challenging batting conditions that helped India to register a win. In Dubai, Rohit was awarded Player of the Match for his 76 run knock in the final. He played a great knock in the finale that helped India to register a four-wicket win against New Zealand in the finale.
With Rohit going for his shots from ball one, the others could take time to adjust to the pace of the slow surface.
"The way he has been playing all this time is nothing short of exemplary. He has got three double hundreds in ODI. What more do I say about him.
"Guys like Virat and Rohit are big match players, bigger the platform the better the performance. It is very important from team's point of view. Their sheer presence is demoralising the opposition," said Vengsarkar, who is also a former chief selector who tracked both Rohit and Kohli in their early days.
Rohit-led India were unbeaten throughout the Champions Trophy defeating Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in their group stage match. The Men in Blue defeated Australia in the semifinal to seal their berth for the finale.
