Rohit Sharma Dismisses Retirement Rumours After Record 138 at Lords

India’s veteran opener Rohit Sharma played a breathtaking knock of 138 off 110 balls against England in the third and deciding ODI of the series at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. Although India suffered a 27-run defeat and lost the three-match series 2-1, Rohit brushed aside all speculation surrounding his retirement with a smile after the match.

The 39-year-old created history by becoming the first Indian batter to score an ODI century at Lord’s. Chasing a daunting target of 388, Rohit struck a magnificent 138, smashing 17 fours and five sixes. However, ahead of the match, reports had suggested that the experienced batter could announce his retirement from ODI cricket after the series finale.

Speaking to the BCCI after the match, Rohit firmly dismissed the retirement rumours, saying he pays no attention to the outside “noise.”

Rohit said:

“My job is to perform with the bat. Representing my country and contributing to the team has always been my primary responsibility, and that’s what I was taught from the very first day of my cricketing journey. As long as I continue to play cricket, there will always be outside noise and speculation. It doesn’t matter much to me. In fact, if there were no discussions or noise outside, the game probably wouldn’t be as enjoyable! The speculation belongs outside the field; my job is to contribute on it.”

Reflecting on the series defeat, Rohit admitted the team was disappointed with the result.

“We’re obviously a bit disappointed with the outcome, but I think we played some really good cricket throughout the series. Chasing 388 at Lord’s was always going to be a huge challenge. We gave it our best with the bat, but in the end, we fell 27 runs short.”