‘When he scored 138 at Lord’s, a full stop should be put on all discussions’ – Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma’s 2027 World Cup future

Rohit Sharma scored 138 runs in the third ODI against England at Lord’s in July 2026, a series decider that showcased his form despite earlier struggles in the series. The captain reached his century off 84 balls, striking 17 fours and five sixes during his 110-ball innings. At 39 years and 80 days, Rohit became the oldest player to score an ODI century at Lord’s, and the first Indian to achieve the milestone at the venue. The century was his 34th in ODI format and his first of 2026, arriving after he had managed just 11 and 26 runs in the first two matches of the series.

The performance came amid weeks of retirement speculation surrounding Rohit’s future in international cricket. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed chatter about his retirement, stating there had been no discussion that Rohit would be playing his last match at Lord’s. Rohit himself addressed the noise following his century, saying speculation about his future does not matter too much to him. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has now weighed in on the subject, offering a perspective on what the Lord’s performance should mean for ongoing discussions about Rohit’s international career.

“It’s been heard that Rohit Sharma’s future will be discussed. Rohit has shown his willingness to play. When he scored 138 runs at Lord’s, a full stop should be put on all discussions. The decision might be that there won’t be any talk about this going forward. Everybody is going to talk in the same vein that they see Rohit Sharma playing the 2027 World Cup, and that is the end of the story,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“There could be an absolutely radical flip side to it, that it doesn’t matter to them and that they have decided that he won’t continue. Either of the two stories could come. However, the way he scored 138 and is looking leaner, fitter, meaner, and willing to play, I think it will be that they are putting this conversation to bed,” he added.

Chopra opined that Ajit Agarkar’s future as the chairman of the selection committee could be one of the key agenda items in the upcoming meeting. He noted that Agarkar and his committee have made several tough decisions during their tenure while also playing a crucial role in building teams that went on to win major global tournaments.

“Two big agendas have come to the fore. Since Ajit Agarkar’s tenure is about to end, that might come up for discussion. Should Ajit Agarkar be continued with? If you look at his tenure, he has taken some tough calls. Some calls were aided because players retired. Three big retirements have happened in his tenure,” said Chopra.

“It includes Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin in Tests. Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have not been able to return. These are again big calls that Ajit Agarkar’s committee has taken. It will actually stop with Ajit Agarkar. However, Ajit Agarkar’s committee is the same one that has built World Cup-winning teams,” he added.