India opener Rohit Sharma’s 34th ODI century ended up in a losing cause as the visitors lost the ODI series decider by 27 runs at Lord’s, London. Rohit scored his eighth ODI century on England soil but it wasn’t enough to help the Shubman Gill-led side chase down a mammoth target of 388. After the high-scoring game, Rohit put the retirement reports to bed. In a video posted by bcci.tv, Rohit reflected on his last knock on England soil. He admitted he has enjoyed playing on English pitches where he has been challenged often.
"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 you want as a cricketer. You want to be challenged all the time. I had my time in the middle. I enjoyed it,” Rohit said.
Rohit rued not being able to finish the game off. He suffered a cramp and faced trouble running between the wickets. That’s when he decided to take the ultra-aggressive approach and look for boundaries. He found a few but ended up getting bowled for 138. He batted with a strike rate of 125.45. Going forward, he wants a collective effort from the team as they had a forgettable tour of England.
ALSO READ: Why Kuldeep Yadav didn't play in 3rd ODI vs England? Shubman Gill clarifies
“But, like I said, a little disappointed with the result. We couldn't finish off the game and get the result in our favour. We have to move on from this, try and see how we can better as a ground, not just individuals. A collective effort from the group is needed. That's what I think the team should be focusing on,” Rohit added.
Rohit’s numbers on England tour
The 39-year-old could not convert starts into big scores in the first two ODIs. In the Edgbaston ODI, he scored 11 runs from 21 balls before losing his wicket to Sam Curran. In the Cardiff ODI, he faced as many as 47 balls and scored just 26 runs. He got out trying to play a sweep shot off Will Jacks. In the series, he managed 175 runs at an average of 58.33 and strike rate of 98.31. For India, only captain Gill scored more runs (188 runs) than him.
When will Rohit be in action next?
Rohit won’t be in action on the international cricket stage for a couple of more months. India’s next tour is of Zimbabwe for a T20I series. Then, India will play a two-Test series on Sri Lankan soil. Meanwhile, the T20I side will be action in the Asian Games 2026 as well. India’s next ODI series is against West Indies at home. The three-ODI series against the Caribbean side will begin on September 27. The three ODIs will be played in Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati and New Chandigarh. The ODI series will conclude on October 3.
Rohit has an impressive record against West Indies as well. From 35 ODI innings, he has 1,613 runs, averaging 57.60. He has three tons and 12 half-centuries against them.