As retirement rumors swirl, Rohit Sharma arrives for an elective practice at Lord’s | Cricket news

TimesofIndia.com in London: There was also a lot of singing Rohit Sharma Walked into the legendary Lord’s cricket ground on Saturday. The mood remained the same when he came out almost three hours later.“The most important man in all India!” one fan shouted. Another declared, “Ek century pakka kal! (Tomorrow a century for sure!)” as Rohit smiled and took his seat in the luxury black bus. The runs may not flow for the ‘Hitman’. Opponents may be pushing him aside instead of supporting him to stay. But the fans don’t see things that way. Rohit Sharma has scored 891 runs since the start of 2025, behind Shubman Gill‘s 974 i Virat Kohli‘s 961. He scored 241 this year, behind Gill’s 484 and Kohli’s 310. Pressure, even if the team management denies it, must play a role.As Rohit and Kohli prepare for what could be their last bilateral match in England, their contributions to the game have not been forgotten.“They’ve obviously been phenomenal players for many years, and it’s good to see them still playing the game,” the England captain Harry Brooks he said ahead of the third ODI, with the score 1-1.Rohit has scored just 37 runs in the ongoing series, 11 in Birmingham and 26 in Cardiff, prompting questions about whether the 39-year-old’s place in India’s ODI squad is under threat. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak insisted there was no pressure to speak of.On Saturday, Morne Morkel put another proverbial arm around Rohit’s shoulder.“It’s hard to work with the new ball up front. We’ve seen that throughout the series. The ball moves around.“So batting forward is not easy. No doubt Rohit will handle it. He has done it in the past. He is experienced and brings calmness to the batting line-up. So, without a doubt, there are no concerns about the way he handles things,” the South African added.His record at Lord’s does not inspire much confidence. The right-hander has played five matches at the venue and scored just 133 runs, including 83 in the 2021 Test. In four white-ball matches, he managed just 29 runs, with a best of 15 in 2018. In fact, his last outing here ended with a 10-ball duck as England beat India by 100 runs.Hoping to change that, Rohit took part in an optional training session ahead of the third ODI Ishan KishanKL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav and Prince Yadav.During a batting session that lasted just over an hour, Rohit faced Kuldeep, Mayank Yadav and the side’s specialist weapons. He was mostly in good touch and control. During breaks, he joked and laughed with members of the support staff. After the end, he went to the bench, took off his gear and had a long talk with the coach Gautam Gambhir. Even before the nets session, Rohit was seen standing alongside Gambhir and Kotak on Lord’s balcony, laughing heartily.Even if this turns out to be the last ODI of Rohit Sharma’s illustrious career, the crowd will undoubtedly turn out in large numbers to witness one of India’s greatest cricketers for the last time at one of the game’s most legendary venues.