Team India veteran batter Rohit Sharma is reportedly not in the team management's scheme of things for the ODI World Cup 2027 amid his poor run of form in the tour of England. The star player scored a 47-ball 26 in the second ODI at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, as speculation continues regarding his future.
According to a report by the Indian Express, the team management have already conveyed to Rohit Sharma that he is not being viewed as part of the long-term plans.
On that note, let us take a look at the three reasons why Team India potentially moving on from Rohit Sharma is the wrong move amid ENG vs IND 2026 ODIs.
There is not much to defend when it comes to Rohit Sharma's performances in England so far. However, opening the innings and facing the new ball, in what have been tricky overseas conditions, there should be some degree of exemption. The other batters in the line-up, like Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul, have all had their struggles at some point or other in the series.
Rohit Sharma's lack of fluency comes across as a concern, but that has been the case with most of the openers in this series so far. While Shubman Gill has looked in sublime touch, carrying on his form from the ODI series against Afghanistan, the likes of Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell have struggled against the new ball in their own conditions despite being in solid form coming into ODIs.
There is the argument that performances in overseas conditions should be taken into account since the World Cup will take place in South Africa. But it is to be noted that he was the player of the series in the last overseas ODI series that India had featured in. On that occasion, when the other batters had faltered, it was Rohit Sharma who had stepped up.
The Indian batters have generally struggled to adapt to conditions in England, particularly the extra bounce, whether it be the T20Is or ODIs. So, it would be wrong to outcast Rohit Sharma for being one of the many players who have failed to be up to the mark.
Rohit Sharma has had to change his batting approach ever since leaving the captaincy. Instead of an all-out approach focusing on maximising the powerplay and not the volume of runs, the Hitman has reverted to a much more pragmatic method. Whether that is a conscious effort from within or the management, or he has deliberately changed it for the sake of longevity, it cannot be said for certain.
Whatever the case may be, it has brought out a timid and indecisive version of Rohit Sharma, which does not help his or the team's cause. With a home series lined up next in terms of ODIs, against the West Indies, it presents a good opportunity for the team management and Rohit Sharma to perhaps align in terms of the approach, and give it one last shot.
Given Rohit Sharma's recent tendency to be a slow burner, where he takes a while in a series before being among the runs, all of these failures in England could just be part of the build-up leading to the big scores. For all he has achieved, he deserves just that tiny bit of rope to prove that he has got what it takes for the long run, despite the team management's obvious desire for transition.
Team India's recent transitions have all been risky and have led to mixed results. As a result, moving on from such a legendary figure might not be as easy as it seems, despite the fact that Rohit Sharma is no longer the captain and there is a candidate ready to take over.
Rohit Sharma has looked lost in England, there are no two ways about it, but from a broader scale, he is the second-leading run scorer for India in ODIs over the last 12 months, with only Virat Kohli placed higher. In the last year, he has slammed a hundred in Australia, and has recorded four fifties as well.
Even if only 2026 is concerned, Rohit Sharma currently averages 30.13 with a strike rate of 88.60. While not optimal numbers that match his potential, it is not entirely dismal and worthy of an axing. The numbers could have easily hit the 40-run mark if he was not so unlucky against Afghanistan, a series where almost every Indian batter made merry.
He was run out for 16 in the series opener in an unfortunate fashion, and was undone by a stunning Rashid Khan delivery on the flattest of wickets where he had raced off to 48 off 39. He did make amends in the series finale, where he was about to be dropped, by scoring 79 runs off 69 balls to serve a reminder to the doubters.
As a result, deciding to part ways just on the basis of the last few matches and overall numbers from 2026 makes little sense. More importantly, players have held onto their places in the past, with much worse numbers and form in the past.
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