After days of rumours about the third ODI at Lords being the last match for Rohit Sharma, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia has dismissed the suggestion that Lord’s had already been designated as Rohit’s farewell, insisting that the former captain would continue representing India “as long as he is in the scheme of things”. This statement sounded like a strong defence. It was also an exquisitely careful sentence. Devajit Saikia confirmed that Rohit had not been handed a predetermined final match. He did not confirm that Rohit would be selected for the next ODI series. He did not guarantee that the opener remained central to India’s World Cup plans but he did make it clear that there was no truth to Rohit playing his final match at Lords.

"There are lot of speculations going on in media about Rohit Sharma's future. I want to firmly assert that there has been no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match at Lord's on Sunday. Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team and he will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things. In other words, Lord's ODI wont be his last match," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI in an exclusive interaction.  

Rohit Sharma struggled in the second ODI against England where he managed just 26 runs and soon after his dismissal, social media erupted with news floating in that Lords ODI could be the last match for Rohit. This was reported by Indian Express which stated that the selectors were moving on from Rohit and that Lords match could be his farewell. This discussion went on for a few days before the BCCI secretary stepped in and denied this news. Saika's statement shows that Rohit Sharma could still continue playing for India after the Lords match.

Washington Sundar ruled out as India look to seal the series at Lords

In a big blow to India ahead of the third ODI, all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the match due to a hamstring injury. Sundar suffered the injury during his batting in the last match and did not take the field in the second innings. His absence will open up a spot for Kuldeep Yadav who had been sidelined for the first two games.

The series is poised at 1-1 after Joe Root's 99 in the previous match helped England level the series. There will be everything on the line during the third ODI at Lords. With India not scheduled to play any ODIs in England till the 2027 World Cup finishes this could potentially be the final time that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will play an ODI in England. The duo will look to put up a good performance and help India win the series.