There has been a lot of speculation over the last two days with reports suggesting that India could be playing his last ODI on Sunday at Lord’s against England as BCCI selectors aren’t including him in their 2027 World Cup plans.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia though confirmed later that Rohit was very much a part of the ODI team and confirmed that the Lord’s ODI won’t be his last.
Rohit’s former Mumbai teammate and ex-India Test cricketer Nilesh Kulkarni, meanwhile, had no doubt that Rohit, 39, who has scored 11,757 runs in 287 ODIs so far, should play the next World Cup in South Africa.
Nilesh Kulkarni
“I feel Rohit has it in him to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup and should do so,” Kulkarni told mid-day, going on to recall Rohit’s precocious talent during his debut Ranji season in 2006-07. Interestingly, in that season, Rohit scored 205 against Gujarat in December 2006 at the Wankhede Stadium, where Kulkarni’s 10-wicket match haul (6-31 and 4-80) helped Mumbai win by an innings and 163 runs.
“Ahead of that match, I bowled to Rohit in the nets and his ability immediately stood out. When a batter has multiple shot options for the same delivery, as a bowler, you need to think a lot. He was equally good on a turning and bouncy track, and could hit a spinner on the rise or cut him if needed,” said Kulkarni.
“He had plenty of time to play the ball even at that young age [19], which I found extraordinary. There’s always a difference between a normal cricketer and a talented one, and Rohit was a special talent. His ability to play the ball late, even off a good delivery, was outstanding,” added Kulkarni, 53, who claimed a Test wicket on the very first ball, dismissing Sri Lankan opener Marvan Atapattu at Colombo in 1997.