インポプラーの意見：ロヒト・シャルマはチャンピオンズトロフィー、フォーム、年齢の後に嫌いに別れを告げるべきです

India cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma is at the fag end of his ODI career. While there is no doubt that he is arguably one India’s best batters in the 50-over format, uncertainty looms over his career in the format, primarily because of his age. With the team management urging the Hitman to take a call on his future in the only white-ball format he is active in, it is high time that he bids farewell to the ODIs and paves way for other talents in the side.

Rohit Sharma is done with ODIs, India need to move on

Rohit probably has one last chance, call it the last dance, to prove his worth in ODIs at Champions Trophy. With 10,866 runs to his name at an average of 49.16, it could take India quite a long time to find a replacement for Sharma. But his age isn’t going to be of any advantage to him in the future and certainly won’t help his form. Currently 37 years old, Rohit fits no where in India’s picture for the 2027 World Cup, a strategy that the team must start working on immediately if they want to avenge the loss in the 2023 WC final.

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When it comes to replacing Rohit as captain, the selectors are already heading in a direction where they have closed in on who could be the next skipper. The obvious option is Shubman Gill, who has been elevated to the position of vice-captain for the ODI series against England and CT 2025. Speaking about replacing Sharma as an opener, there is Yashasvi Jaiswal who is already knocking at the doors of the Indian cricket team to make his ODI debut. Should one leave him out of the picture in 50-over formats, then there is still the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan in the reckoning. If India need a experienced hand at the top, then KL Rahul is an automatic option, given his success as an opener in ODIs in the past.

Let’s talk about Rohit’s form next. He was in the best touch of his life in 2019, the World Cup year where India lost in a heartbreaking fashion in the semis. He scored 7 hundreds and amassed 1490 runs in that very year, his highest to date since making his debut in the format in 2007. Since then, he has played more T20Is and Tests majorly, barring a World Cup year in 2023 when he played 27 ODIs and amassed 1255 runs. The only other year that he has scored more runs in the 50-over format was in 2017, with 1293 runs from 21 innings. His last ODI came against Sri Lanka in 2024 where he surely didn’t look in good touch.

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Given that Rohit is 37-year-old currently, there is not much to expect in terms of his fitness & reflexes. Besides, Gautam Gambhir already seems to have a plan in place for the 2027 ODI World Cup and unfortunately the Hitman finds no place in it. It would rather be better for the Hitman to aim for the stars and announce his retirement from ODIs by signing off with a Champions Trophy triumph rather than trying to extend his career.