Former India captain Rohit Sharma took a dig at Ben Stokes-led England as they failed to keep the Ashes 2025-26 alive with Australia taking an unassailable lead of 3-0 in Adelaide. In an event in Gurugram on December 21, Rohit pointed out that it is not easy to play on Australian soil.
“Australia mein khelna sabse difficult hai, aap England ko puch he sakte ho (playing in Australia is the most difficult, you can ask England about it)," Rohit said at the event, taking a sly dig at the English team.
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Rohit committed to ODI World Cup 2027
From scoring 31 runs from five innings in his last Test series on Australian soil, Rohit scored a century and a fifty in the ODI series against them. The opener made it clear that he wants to continue playing ODI cricket and is committed to the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa.
“Mera bhi life kuch aise he tha; start karna bahut difficult tha (My life was also like this; it was very difficult to start). But once I took the momentum, once I sat in the plane, vo plane ne jo altitude pakda hai vo abhi tak neeche nahi aaya hai (the altitude that the plane has caught has not come down yet). I think that is what matters, and I don’t want that plane to land so quickly now. Mere ko abhi tak upar rehna hai (I want to stay up till now)," Rohit said.
“We all know, I am sure everybody has travelled. That is why I gave this example of a plane. When a plane reaches an altitude of 35,000-40,000, you feel nice and relaxed; we eat and we sleep. So that is what life is. Once you take that momentum, I think it’s important you stay, and then obviously landing is also important, but it depends on you when you want to land," he added.
Rohit is expected to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 and prepare for the ODI series against New Zealand at home which begins on January 11.
Since his Test retirement, Rohit has played six ODIs, scoring a century and three fifties. He would like to continue his form in domestic cricket and the series against the BlackCaps.