A day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) quashed speculations of Rohit Sharma’s ODI retirement, the India skipper was seen sharing a light-hearted moment with head coach Gautam Gambhir on the balcony of Lord’s. Sharma, who was on the field for India’s optional practice session, met with the team management before entering their training session.

Retirement rumors gained momentum Following reports that the Indian team management wanted to move on from the experienced opener after the England series, BCCI secretary Devjit Saikia on Friday firmly dismissed them. The board official clarified that Rohit is not retiring after the Lord’s ODI and he will remain an integral part of India’s ODI setup.

With this the speculations came to an endRohit took part in India’s optional training session at Lord’s on Saturday, July 18. The captain was seen discussing with head coach Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak to return to form ahead of the series decider.

‘Rohit will come out of recession’

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel also supported the opening batsman who is struggling with poor form, saying that Rohit has overcome similar phase before.

Morkel said, “It has become difficult to rotate the new ball. There is no doubt that Rohit Sharma will work on it, he has done it before also. Rohit has that experience and I am sure he will come out of it.”

Although Saikia ruled out Rohit’s retirement after the Lord’s ODI, he did not confirm whether the experienced opener will be part of India’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. With Yashasvi Jaiswal awaited, the selectors are yet to take a decision on Rohit’s future as India begin preparations for the tournament in South Africa.

Rohit, Gambhir face to face again?

If Rohit is really unhappy with the Indian team management then it would not be the first time. During India’s ill-fated tour of Australia in 2024-25, Rohit arrived late for the practice session before the final Test in Sydney, and as per reports, Showed indifferent attitude to the head coach. Struggling badly for runs, the India captain even skipped the pre-match press conference, instead Gautam Gambhir addressed the media as India trailed 1-2 in the series.

Gambhir not only refused to confirm whether Rohit would play or not In the final test, when the journalists were asked why the captain was absent, he also silenced the journalists.

Gambhir had said, “The head coach is here. That should be enough.”

Saturday’s talks painted a very different picture. Rohit and Gambhir spent time talking and laughing on the Lord’s balcony ahead of India’s optional training session while bowling coach Morne Morkel addressed the media. It is noteworthy that during the press conference at Lord’s, no questions were asked on the speculations about Rohit’s retirement.

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