CONFIRMED: ‘Rohit Sharma will play 2027 ODI World Cup and retire after that’ | Cricket News – The Times of India
NEW DELHI: After Rohit Sharma’s explosive knock and India’s victory over Australia in the third ODI, the batter’s childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, expressed his delight on Saturday, stating that the veteran will retire after playing the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup. Rohit smashed his 50th international hundred in Sydney and finished as the top run-scorer of the recently concluded ODI series against Australia.During India’s chase of 237, his commanding 121* and partnership with long-time teammate Virat Kohli thrilled fans who had packed the stadium — possibly witnessing their last outing together on Australian soil.“The way Rohit batted today and how he contributed to India’s win — it felt great to watch the match. He will play the 2027 ODI World Cup and retire after that,” Dinesh Lad said.
Speaking about Virat, who scored a steady 74* after two successive ducks in Perth and Adelaide, Lad said that “there are misunderstandings about Virat everyday.”“He is someone who can thrive anytime and anywhere. The way he played today, it feels good. Sachin had said in a function way back that Rohit and Virat would be the players who would break his records. Both getting closer to his records feels really good,” he added.As for the match, Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. A 61-run opening stand between skipper Mitchell Marsh (41 off 50 balls, with five fours and a six) and Travis Head (29 off 25 balls, with six fours) gave them a solid start.Matt Short contributed 30 off 41 balls with two fours, while a 59-run partnership between Matt Renshaw (56 off 58 balls, with two fours) and Alex Carey (24 off 37 balls, with a four) took the Aussies to 183/3. However, a middle-order collapse saw them bundled out for 236 in 46.4 overs. Harshit Rana (4/39 in 8.4 overs) and Washington Sundar (2/44) were the standout bowlers, while Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav took one wicket each.Chasing 237, India began strongly with a 69-run opening stand, featuring Shubman Gill (24 off 26 balls, with two fours and a six). Then came the moment fans had been waiting for all series — Rohit Sharma (121* off 125 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (74* off 81 balls, with seven fours) combined for an unbeaten 168-run partnership, steering India home with nine wickets in hand.Rohit was named both ‘Player of the Match’ and ‘Player of the Series’ for his stellar performance, finishing as the top scorer with 202 runs, including a century and a fifty.
