Indian cricket commentator and former player Harsha Bhogle has condemned the reports regarding Rohit Sharma’s ODI future, saying that such speculation does the game a great disservice. He further added that such rumors can have a damaging effect on the team environment as a whole.

Such rumors started doing the rounds post confirmation that India’s selectors have informed Sharma that he no longer has a place in the setup beyond the current ODI series against England. There were also reports that Sharma might retire from the format after the third and final ODI at Lord’s.

Harsha Bhogle questions Rohit Sharma’s retirement rumors as the BCCI issues a clarification

In response to the reports, Harsha Bhogle took to X, the social media platform, to react to the developments surrounding the issue. He called out the irresponsible leak and the subsequent clarification as completely damaging for the team.

“This whole drama around Rohit Sharma, from the irresponsible leak to the farcical clarification, is damaging to Indian cricket and the team spirit,” he tweeted.

It all started after Rohit scored 11 and 26 runs in the first two ODIs against England. Reports started doing rounds that the selectors and the Indian team management had already begun planning for the 2027 ODI World Cup without the veteran opener.

On the other hand, the BCCI refuted such allegations. The BCCI secretary further added that the media frenzy around the cricketer did create unnecessary drama for the fans.

“There are various speculations in the media about Rohit Sharma’s future. I must clarify that there has been no discussion in the Indian camp about him retiring after playing his last ODI at Lord’s against England on Sunday. The 39-year-old opener is a part of the team’s ODI plans, and he will continue to play for India in the shortest format as long as he is in the set plans,” said Devajit Saikia, the BCCI secretary, in an interview with ANI.

The veteran cricketer had retired from T20Is and Tests in 2023, which left the ODI format as the only format for him to play for India. However, with the BCCI backing him, it will be interesting to see if he continues to lead India in the ODI World Cup 2027.