The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office bearers are set to meet selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar after India’s Test series against Sri Lanka to discuss his future, according to a report by The Indian Express. Agarkar will complete three years as chairman in September and is eligible for a one-year extension. The report claimed that the meeting will take place amid differences of opinion between the selectors and the BCCI regarding Rohit Sharma’s future. While the selectors had reportedly informed Sharma that they were looking to replace him in the squad after the England series in July, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that Sharma will “continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things”.
The report further claimed that the BCCI wants the selectors to assess Sharma’s future on a series-by-series basis in the lead-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, Saikia’s comments reportedly left the selectors unhappy.
Earlier, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has lauded Rohit Sharma for his brilliant century against England in the third and final ODI at Lord’s, stating that the opener has ‘shut everyone up’ on speculations about his future in the 50-over format.
Rohit made a sublime 138 – the first ODI century hit by an Indian batter at Lord’s and quashed speculations about the end of his 50-over set-up. He shared stands of 147 and 113 with skipper Shubman Gill (77) and Virat Kohli (74), though it went in vain as India lost by 27 runs and suffered a 2-1 series defeat.
“He didn’t need to do so, but he shut up everybody, because when you get those kinds of rumours floating around, it’s sometimes irritating. When a player has done that much, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
“If he has the desire to play and work hard at his game and he’s still enjoying it, I think he should be given the opportunity for as long as he wants. The day will come when he’ll feel that he’ll go, but when you have that kind of quality, you’re thinking of dropping him and then he produces anything like this – first time ever, it was a special innings,” said Shastri on Sky Sports.
(With agency inputs)