‘He must have that goal in mind …’ - Former Australian skipper dissects Rohit Sharma’s likely future

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels that Rohit Sharma has decided to play on till the 2027 ODI World Cup. Rohit had declared he is not retiring from the ODI format after winning the Champions Trophy last Sunday. Day before the finals, there were rumors circulating that Rohit may end his ODI career. 

During his chat with the Apex Cricket Body, Ponting said, “When you start getting to that point of your career, everyone's waiting for you to retire. And I don't know why, when you can still play as well as he's played (in the final), I think he was just trying to put those questions to bed once and for all and say, ‘No, I'm still playing well enough. I love playing in this team. I love leading this team.’ And I think, the fact that he said that, to me, it means that he must have that goal in mind of playing in the next World Cup.”

The former Australian skipper also said, “I think probably the fact that they lost the last one and he was captain, that might be the thing that's playing on the back of his mind. Just have one more crack at trying to win the T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy, and the ODI World Cup. I mean when you see him play like he played in the Champions Trophy final, you wouldn't say that his time is up just yet."

What did Rohit Sharma about his ODI future?

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma put his retirement rumors to bed after the Champions Trophy finals and said, “I am not going to retire from this format. Just to make sure that no rumours are spread moving forward.” Rohit scored 76 in the finals to be named Man of the Match on Sunday. 

While speaking to Sanjana Ganesan on JioHotstar, Rohit was asked if he planned to play the next ODI World Cup. The 37-year-old replied “"It's very hard to say that right now," he said on the prospect of playing the ODI World Cup two-and-a-half years from now. But I'm keeping all my options open. I want to see how well I'm playing. 

Indian skipper also added, “Right now, I'm playing really, really well, and I'm enjoying everything I'm doing with this team, and the team is enjoying my company as well, which is nice. I can't really say 2027 because it's too far, but I'm keeping all my options open. As long as I'm enjoying the sport, I'm enjoying playing the game, doing what I'm doing for this team, I will continue to play.”