'He will retire after...': Rohit Sharma's childhood coach shares massive take on star batter's future after Sydney hundred

Rohit Sharma's childhood coach Dinesh Lad feels that the star batter still has a lot of cricket left in him and has shown this with his performance in the ODI series against Australia. He further stated that Rohit has not announced his retirement as of yet because he wants to play the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Rohit's fine return to ODIs

This comes after the 38-year-old made a sensational return to one-day cricket in the Australia series. He scored a total of 202 runs in three matches, including a century and half-century each. Rohit was even adjudged as the Player of the Series as he was the top run-getter in the three games.

“This is a special moment. There were talks that he was not performing, that he should stop playing cricket, but he played two good innings in the last two matches, 75 (73) first and now 120 (121*), and has shown he is still a top player who’ll still contribute to the country… The only secret is his self-confidence. That’s why he hasn’t retired. He wants to play the 2027 World Cup and only retire after that, and he’s preparing for that, " Lad told PTI Videos.

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Though there is no guarantee as to if Rohit will feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup, it is safe to say that the star batter has made an excellent return to international cricket and will now be hoping to continue this form in India's next ODI assignment that will be a three-match home series against South Africa and will commence from November 30.

On the other hand, Lad also commented on the rumours of a rift between Rohit and Virat Kohli. Notably, the duo carried India to victory in the third ODI against Australia and did so by forming a massive 168-run stand. Rohit remained unbeaten on 121 while Virat scored an unbeaten 77 as the Men in Blue prevented a series whitewash.

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“There were a lot of ugly talks about Virat. A lot of people were saying a lot of bad things. But I had said that he’d perform. Both did well. I want to see them play the 2027 World Cup. Many said there was friction between Rohit and Virat, but that’s not true; they are close friends and play for the nation. If that were the case, this partnership and win for the nation wouldn’t have happened," Lad stated.

Meanwhile, India's tour of Australia isn't over as of yet and the two teams will now be locking horns in a five-match T20I series that will commence from October 29.