TimesofIndia.com in London: Eight years ago, Rohit Sharma he summed himself up with a line that now feels almost prophetic: “Throw me to the wolves and I’ll come back and lead the pack.” When speculation of retirement surrounded him ahead of the Lord’s ODI, the 39-year-old responded exactly as the statement promised, raising the bar with an innings that answered any question about his future.On Sunday, Lord’s was painted blue for the third ODI between India and England. There are many traditions that define this famous place: gold and red ties, aka the egg-and-bacon tie; the five-minute bell, played by Yuvraj Singh on this occasion; walking through the Long Room with the Honors Board on display and the immediate presence of Father Time. Away from all this stood Rohit Sharma. He was greeted during the net session the day before with much excitement, and it continued when the team arrived to make the decision.Over the past few days, the focus has been on the 39-year-old. The third and final ODI has been decided as his last. Some reports say that his parents were present at the event. Rumors of retirement were rife. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had to come out and deny that it would be Rohit’s last. However, it did not stop the rumor mongers from doing more work.As for Rohit, he looked comfortable in his skin.“Look, my job is with the bat. Come and play, represent my country, represent the team. That’s what I’ve been told to do since I started, and that’s what I’m going to do. The noise, since I made my debut, it’s been there. And until the time I’m going to be here, it’s always going to be there. So I’m not doing what I do best. The team. That’s all I’m looking for right now. And let the noise be there. If there is no noise, there is no fun. My work is in, their work is out. That’s how I see it,” he told BCCI.tv after the match.And on the field, Rohit did what he has done before in this part of the world.Opening on the side Shubman Gill with a massive run of 388 runs, Rohit did what he has been doing effortlessly for the past two decades. He bowled while managing his innings well. The almost-run-a-ball 50 became the 84-ball century when the over was squeezed after the 70-run mark. The right-hander changed gears quickly to jump from 69 off 69 to 121 off 100, scoring 52 off 31 balls.
I think the way Rohit bhai went about his innings was brilliant
Shubman Gill
“I think the way Rohit bhai went about his innings was good,” skipper Shubman Gill said later. “During the Powerplay, we talked about whether we should go after the bowling or not, but we know it’s not easy to bat with the new ball. The way he drove his runs and accelerated was unique. Once he got into the 60s and 70s, it was really fun to watch,” he added.Although Rohit limped off while finishing the over, with 30% humidity playing its part, he chose to bowl instead of playing singles and doubles. Virat Kohli at the other end. That 121 from 100 became 132 from 107 following a twin boundary in the Sam Curran over, including a shot to deep cover. Two balls later, Jacob Bethell looked to the corner of the bullpen as Rohit sent the ball flying high, his fifth of the day. One could see Bethel’s sad face. It wasn’t a bad ball. It was only given to Rohit, who has done this many times in the past.
![London [England]Jul 19 (ANI): India's Rohit Sharma plays the shot in the third ODI...](https://static.toiimg.com/photo/msid-132509811/london-england-jul-19-ani-indias-rohit-sharma-plays-a-shot-during-3rd-odi.jpg "India's Rohit Sharma bowls during the third ODI against England, at Lord's in London on Sunday. (ANI photo)")
India’s Rohit Sharma bowls during the third ODI against England, at Lord’s in London on Sunday. (ANI photo)
The England bowler got the ball back later when Rohit went for a sweep, missed, and the ball found his pads before falling into the stumps to give him a lucky run out.Rohit cheered and applauded the tens of thousands present. His 34th ODI. Eighth in England. And the first is an Indian at Lord’s. All were added to his resume. His impressive and seemingly unfinished resume.The other half of the famous RoKo, Virat Kohlidriving people away. The pacer believed when Rohit departed after a 113-run stand, long after the pair, playing their 400th match together, shared a big hug following Rohit’s tone. India needed 128 from 68 balls. Was the miracle, of NatWest 2002, possible?
We played together our whole career, so it was nice to have him in the middle. We have had many partnerships. It’s always fun to fight together. We understand each other very well.
Rohit Sharma
Kohli tried his best. A swinging delivery from Will Jacks allowed the 37-year-old to dance down the track and send it over the bowler’s head over the over. Still with work to do, Kohli didn’t lift his batting in conceding his 46-ball fifty, his first at Lord’s. Two balls later, Kohli used his hands to send the ball over the back leg for another six.In the middle, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer came and went. Kohli stood in the middle, and his partner stepped in, “only a warrior.” The Indian gladiator then went after Jacob Bethell, hitting him for a straight six.But the knock, and the chase, ended well as Sam Curran dismissed Kohli for 74 off 60 balls, with four fours and three sixes. Kohli, as always, was disappointed that he could not do the job and could not guide the team across the finish line.
With India losing the two ODI series 1-2, crushed 0-2 and 0-4 by Ireland and England, respectively, in the T20Is, there will be plenty for the BCCI officials to analyse. But for RoKo, who continue to bring thousands to theaters and millions to their televisions, the road is far from over.“We played our whole career together, so it was good to have him in the middle. We’ve had a lot of relationships. It’s always fun to bat together. We understand each other very well. It’s always good in the middle, to bounce ideas off and try to see what we can do. So there were a lot of discussions that happened when we were batting,” Rohit said of Kohli and their time together in the middle.Unless something catastrophic happens, this interval will continue for one more series. Kohli and Rohit had different report cards from the series in their quest to be in South Africa for the 2027 ODI World Cup. While Kohli scored 144 runs in three matches, returning after the blip at Edgbaston, Rohit raced to 175 runs in the series following his century at Lord’s.As for the rumors of Rohit’s retirement and the end of his 19-year ODI career, the snooze button can be quickly dismissed. “They didn’t tell us anything. I think everything has come out in the media, but there have been no discussions like this in the team,” said Shubman Gill at the press conference after the game.India’s next ODI activity will be in September against the West Indies, while they are expected to play in New Zealand in November and against Sri Lanka in December.
