CHENNAI: Another lackluster performance by his lofty standards, Rohit Sharma could well send him out of the India team. Already under pressure to perform before India settle in on their next year's 50-over World Cup, his poor runs of 11 runs in the first match at Birmingham and 26 in Cardiff on Wednesday have turned against him.
This has led to intense speculation about his retirement this summer in England. All indications point at his Lord's match on Sunday being the last. If so, it will bring curtains on a glorious career of the one of the modern-day white-ball legends.
Though all eyes were on Virat Kohli too, but the former India captain had been performing and keeping his form and fitness in mind he may be part of the project. Chief selector Ajit Agarakar is in Cardiff and it is understood that the selection committee is quite clear that new players needs to be fast-tracked into the team ahead of the World Cup in October-November.
According to reports, the national selectors are keen that Yashasvi Jaiswal who scored two hundreds in three innings get a longer rope. There are around 20 games and Jaiswal needs to be given those 20 games. With the next ODI assignment only in September with West Indies coming to India, the selectors might move on from Rohit come that series.
Since he is a highly decorated player, the BCCI would be happy if he himself took the decision to hang his bat. However, with head coach Gautam Gambhir and Agarkar reportedly in the same page, Rohit might bid adieu to his international career. Rohit, apparently is not very happy with the decision of the selectors.
The same script unfolded when he retired from Tests. After a poor performance in Australia, he dropped himself for the last Test. Though he maintained that he will play in the England series, Rohit retired in the middle of the Indian Permier Leauge. At the time, he felt he should have been given time to retire and was not happy that the decision to drop him from Test team came out before he could take a call of his own will.
