With another global trophy in his hands, Rohit Sharma has finally addressed the swirling rumors about his ODI future. Fresh off leading India to victory in both the T20 World Cup last year and the Champions Trophy just last week, the captain made it clear—he’s not done with ODIs yet. In a firm yet lighthearted manner, Rohit dismissed any speculation about his retirement, urging people to stop spreading baseless claims.
At 37, many believed that Rohit might step away from the format after this marquee event. However, the Indian skipper himself confirmed that he has no such plans at the moment. But does this mean Rohit has his sights set on the 2027 ODI World Cup?
For now, he remains non-committal. The seasoned cricketer insists he isn’t thinking that far ahead and is simply focused on his game. However, cricketing legend Ricky Ponting believes otherwise. The former Australian captain is convinced that Rohit could very well be targeting the next ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Ponting praised Rohit’s performance as an opener in the Champions Trophy and believes that his dominance with the bat is reason enough to continue. “When you start getting to that point of your career, everyone’s waiting for you to retire. And I don’t know why, when you can still play as well as he’s played (in the Champions Trophy final), I think he was just trying to put those questions to bed once and for all and say, ‘no, I’m still playing well enough. I love playing in this team. I love leading this team,’” Ponting shared on ICC Review.
The former Australian skipper further speculated that Rohit’s desire to chase unfinished business might be fueling his determination to continue. India’s heartbreaking loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup final—despite being the tournament’s favorites—could be a key factor in his decision. “I think probably the fact that they (India) lost the last one and he was captain, that might be the thing that’s playing on the back of his mind. Just have one more crack at trying to win the T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy, and the ODI World Cup. I mean, when you see him play like he played in the Champions Trophy final, you wouldn’t say that his time is up just yet,” Ponting added.
With Rohit Sharma still at the peak of his game and refusing to rule anything out, cricket fans now eagerly wait to see whether he will indeed take one last shot at ODI glory in 2027.
