India's Rohit Fumes At Speculation About Future Ahead Of England Odis

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) India captain Rohit Sharma bristled at questions about his form and future in international cricket, saying on Wednesday he was fully focused on this month's one-day international series against England and the Champions Trophy.

Rohit's side lost 3-0 at home to New Zealand and suffered a 3-1 defeat by Australia which ended their decade-long hold on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but the 37-year-old ruled out test retirement despite a prolonged run of poor form.

He retired from Twenty20 international cricket following India's World Cup triumph last year but said he would not react to media reports that he could end his ODI career after the Champions Trophy.

"How is it relevant that I talk about my future plans here when we have three ODIs and the Champions Trophy coming up? The reports have been going on for a number of years," Rohit told reporters on Wednesday.

"I'm not here to clarify them. For me right now, these three games and then the Champions Trophy are very important. My focus is on these games, we'll see what happens after that."

Rohit returns to the helm after T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav guided a dominant India to a 4-1 T20 series win over England.

Asked if he was confident returning to the format in which he can be devastating, Rohit appeared irritated by the line of questioning before Thursday's opening game in Nagpur.

"What kind of a question is that? This is a different format, a different time. As cricketers, we know there will be ups and downs and I've faced a lot in my career, so this is nothing new to me," he added.

"Every day is a fresh day, every series is a fresh series. So yeah, I'm looking forward to the challenge. I'm not looking at what has happened in the past.

"A lot of good things have happened as well. It's important I focus on what is coming up and what lies ahead for me. It's as simple as that. I'll look to start the series on a high and let's see what happens."

Both Rohit and Virat Kohli, 36, have come under fire for their poor form, while youngsters Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube sparkled during the T20 series.

Rohit averaged less than 25 with the bat in 14 Tests in 2024 -- his lowest ever average for a calendar year.

He left himself out for the final Test against Australia in Sydney, sparking speculation he could retire from the five-day game.

Kohli himself managed an average of just 24.52 last year as part of a wider slump in the five-day game since 2019.

He made his first appearance in domestic first-class cricket since 2012 for Delhi in an attempt to regain form last week but was dismissed for just six in his only innings.

Meanwhile, India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is racing against time to be fit for the Champions Trophy starting February 19 after he missed the final day's play of the Sydney Test in Australia in January due to a back injury.

Rohit said an update on his recovery and return will be available once a report on his scans is received in about two days.

Mohammed Shami will lead India's pace attack in the ODIs after recovering from a heel injury and participating in domestic cricket and the recent T20 series with mixed returns.

"He has not played cricket for a year-and-a-half. Don't be quick to judge players," Rohit said of Shami.

"He has been playing cricket for the last 10-12 years and performed for the team. He bowled so well in the World Cup (2023). If he doesn't get the results in some domestic matches as expected then it doesn't make him a bad bowler."

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