Asked specifically whether Rohit will be announcing his retirement, Gill said: “We have not had a chance. He has not told us anything. I think it’s probably in the media. Not been in discussion at all.”

And then he went on to speak about Rohit’s innings, where he scored his first century at Lord’s to make it to the honours board. “I think the way Rohit bhai faced the bowlers, he was very calm. Most of the time, I was a non-striker, and watching him, he was very calm. In the powerplay, we were talking about whether to go for a hit or not, but we saw that hitting with a new ball is not that easy. And I think the way he faced the bowlers, and the way he accelerated, I think he got close to 60-70 in quick time. So, he was very calm,” Gill added.

Earlier, in an interaction with the host broadcasters Gill praised both Rohit and Virat Kohli, who scored 74 off 60. “I mean, they have done really well over the years in different parts of the world. And very, very pleased with how Rohit Bhai batted today, especially getting 140. And I think the wicket got a little bit slow in the end. It wasn’t easy to hit those runs. But I think the way he batted was really a treat to watch,” he said.

Once they weathered that phase, the pair took control. Rohit broke the shackles with trademark pulls and scoops, while Gill relied on elegant drives through the covers and proactive footwork against spin.

They rotated strike consistently, punished loose deliveries and brought up their 100-run stand in the 19th over, keeping the required rate within reach. Gill’s 77 and Rohit’s composed innings had India mirroring England’s start, but the skipper’s dismissal to Adil Rashid ended a 147-run partnership.

A few overs after the skipper’s dismissal, Rohit brought up his 34th ODI hundred, continuing the pattern of saving his best for the final game of a series. After quiet scores in the first two ODIs and speculation over his future, his hundred with a four off Rashid made him the first Indian to score an ODI ton at Lord’s.

Gill’s dismissal brought Virat Kohli to the middle with a platform laid for him to make a defining score.

He began fluently but with an escalating run rate, needed to up the ante further. In that pursuit, he chewed up a few more dot balls than he would have liked. It meant Rohit needed to keep looking for boundaries.

The 39-year-old, despite cramping, took it upon himself to clear the boundary and, after some lusty blows, fell trying to go for one shot too many, bowled by Jacob Bethell for an excellent 138.

That left the onus on Kohli to take India home. With 121 runs needed in the last 10 overs, he continued to struggle for timing, but in the 42nd over bowled by Will Jacks produced two sixes to reignite hoped of turning things around.

But the match turned decisively in England’s favour in the 44th over when Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer both fell to Sam Curran’s change of pace, and when Kohli fell to the same bowler in the 46th over for 74, it meant curtains for India.

Earlier, on a placid surface under blue skies, India’s bowling attack sans Jasprit Bumrah was taken to the cleaners. Duckett’s 141 off 135 balls and Bethell’s 92 laid the platform for a mammoth score.

Bumrah’s absence left a big void in the attack, but it also offered the rest of the bowling unit an opportunity to deliver. None of them did.

Arshdeep Singh found some early movement but lacked consistency. Whenever he pitched the ball in the right area, he troubled Duckett. But those deliveries were followed by overpitched half-volleys or balls drifting onto the pads. He finished with 0/72 from his 10 overs.

Duckett and Bethell recognised India’s inconsistency early. They did not force the issue against good deliveries. Instead, they waited patiently for anything too straight or too full, cashing in whenever India missed their lengths. There was never any sustained pressure put on them, which allowed both left-handers to settle into the innings.

Prince Yadav, introduced before the end of the first Powerplay, also struggled. He was wayward, conceding several wides, and could not find his lines or lengths consistently. Gurnoor Brar, introduced later, had perhaps the most testing day of his career so far, finishing with 0/97 in 10 overs.

Prasidh Krishna recovered after an expensive start, dismissing Bethell and Harry Brook, but leaked runs at the death, including two sixes to Jos Buttler, ending with 2/69 from 10 overs.

Gill’s options were limited. India had just five specialist bowlers and only one spinner in Axar Patel,
who conceded 61 runs from his 10 overs. Joe Root made an unbeaten 74 off 48 balls, but it was Jos Buttler’s cameo of 41 runs in 13 balls that propelled England to a score that proved too much for India.

Brief Scores: England 387/3 in 50 overs (Ben Duckett 141, Jacob Bethell 92, Joe Root 74 not out; Prasidh Krishna 2/69) beat India 360/7 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 138, Shubman Gill 77, Virat Kohli 74; Sam Curran 4/75) by 27 runs

When Thakur was part of the Indian team was referred as the ‘Lord Thakur’ by his team mates. Hailing from the same school as Sharma, the all-rounder knew the Indian opener since childhood days. And the duo have played all of their top flight domestic cricket with Mumbai and have even shared the dressing room in the IPL with the Mumbai Indians.

The hundred came at a special time for Mumbai’s veteran batsman at the historic venue. The suspense around his future might continue till India’s next assignment in September unless there is an official word. But with an emphatic century at Lord’s in the third ODI, Sharma showed he isn’t going anywhere without a fight. If there is anyone waiting to take his spot, the call should come from the selectors. Chasing 388, more than Rohit, it was a knock that India needed badly. As he slog swept Adil Rashid for a boundary off the 84th delivery he faced, there were no animated gestures or over the top celebrations. He pumped the fists, embraced Virat Kohli, who uttered a few words in his ears which brought out a smile and out came the bat, pointing to the dressing room and to his family in the stands.

The century was not enough as India fell short by 27 runs giving England the ODI series 2-1.

The panel is learnt to have spoken to Sharma, along with coach Gautam Gambhir, last week. According to sources, the selection committee wants to give youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been waiting in the wings, a chance, and has made it clear that it doesn’t see a role for Sharma in the 2027 World Cup.

“The selectors have informed Rohit that he does not figure in their scheme of things after the England tour and they are moving on from him after this series. He wanted to continue, especially after working on his fitness. The selectors have left the ball in Sharma’s court,” said a source in the Indian board.

It is learnt that Sharma spoke to a few BCCI officials on the sidelines of the England series, and the opener wasn’t happy with the decision. Sharma has already retired from T20Is, stepping away on June 29, 2024, hours after leading India to the World Cup title, and from Test cricket on May 7, 2025, a decision announced on Instagram ahead of India’s tour of England that summer.

The selection committee removed Sharma as ODI captain last year, replacing him with Shubman Gill. The panel, in consultation with the team management, is learnt to be keen on giving younger players a chance, keeping the future of Indian cricket in mind.

Sharma’s ODI captaincy record includes leading India to the 2023 World Cup final, where the team’s all-out attacking approach from the top of the order redefined how India batted in the format. The following year, that same bold, aggressive template was carried over to India’s triumphant 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, also under his leadership.

There was the occasional overpitched delivery that was put away, but they were exceptions. Bumrah’s lengths were consistently challenging, forcing England to earn almost every run. He dismissed Duckett off the very first delivery at Cardiff and even when wickets did not come, he ensured the batters were under pressure and unable to play with complete freedom. With no room to work around, dot deliveries piled up forcing them to attack the rest.

At Lord’s, India could not produce the same sustained pressure in the first 10 overs in Bumrah’s absence.

Arshdeep Singh, playing his first match of the series, generated some movement with the new ball but struggled to find the right lengths consistently. Duckett drove an overpitched delivery through the covers before punishing another full ball on the pads. Bethell, too, picked up a boundary with a flick through the leg side after Arshdeep drifted onto his pads. By the end of his first three overs, Arshdeep had conceded 19 runs, giving England enough scoring opportunities to settle into their innings.

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Prasidh Krishna’s spell followed a different pattern. His first over cost 12 runs as Duckett capitalised on deliveries down the leg side and on the pads. However, the tall fast bowler quickly corrected his lengths. Bowling from the Nursery End, he extracted bounce, beat the bat regularly and bowled three consecutive maidens. Bethell repeatedly played and missed outside off as Prasidh found a fuller, more probing line that finally brought some control back into India’s attack. However, he could not make the inroad that India were looking for, conceding 21 runs in the five overs in the powerplay.

Prince Yadav, introduced before the end of the powerplay, also struggled for consistency. He sprayed deliveries down the leg side, conceded wides and gifted Bethell another boundary on the pads, allowing England to maintain the momentum they had built.

Whether the famous Lord’s slope played a role in India’s new-ball bowlers drifting too straight is difficult to say. India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel had spoken before the match about how batters often need time to adjust to the slope. It was India’s bowlers who found it hard to adjust to the slope in the first 10 overs and ensured England reached 58/0.

What was beyond doubt, however, was the difference Bumrah makes. His value lies not only in wickets but also in his ability to build pressure ball after ball, forcing batters into mistakes and allowing the rest of the attack to operate with fields that remain attacking. Without that early squeeze, England’s openers were able to settle quickly, and India spent much of the powerplay trying to regain the control that Bumrah so often provides naturally.

“Jasprit Bumrah had an impact injury on his left knee while fielding in the second ODI in Cardiff. He was not available for selection for the third ODI due to reactive swelling in his left knee,” a BCCI statement said.

#TeamIndia is wearing black armbands to pay tribute to West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers following his passing on Friday.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/cYXAWc40iT

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 19, 2026

KL Rahul, who missed the second ODI due to illness, also returned to India’s playing XI.

“We’re not the one who relies on stats so much. We think he’s a great bowler, and we were looking for four seamers on this ground. We have seen in the middle overs, spinners don’t really offer much as compared to the fast bowlers.”

“I think we were in a great position up until the 25 overs of the match, and then we lost too many wickets in the middle overs, end of the middle overs. So hopefully, if you’re in that kind of position, we post a good total close to 280-300. And then we have seen it’s not easy to score freely in the past couple of matches. So hopefully, if we are able to get good runs and put the team in a comfortable position,” India captain Shubman Gill said at the toss.

England also made one change to the side that won at Cardiff, bringing in Josh Tongue for Saqib Mahmood.

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The two pillars of Indian cricket began their careers around the same time, Rohit in 2007 and Kohli in 2008. Over the last 18 years, they have been the bedrock of India’s batting, leading the country to three T20 World Cups, one ODI World Cup, and two Champions Trophy titles. Both have now retired from T20Is and Tests, with ODIs remaining their only active format. Kohli and Rohit are India’s second and third highest run-scorers in ODIs, with 14,867 and 11,757 runs respectively.

The milestone, however, comes amid intense speculation over Rohit’s international future. According to The Indian Express report, the selectors have decided to move on from the 39-year-old opener, with the Lord’s ODI potentially being his last appearance in India colours. Despite the uncertainty, Rohit took the field alongside Kohli to achieve the historic feat.

The series is locked at 1-1 heading into the decider after India won the opening game, chasing down 259 comfortably courtesy of Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 80 and all-round show from Axar Patel. The host struck back, beating the Men in Blue by four wickets in the second game to equalise the series.

Most Matches Played Together in International Cricket

Pair	Matches
Kumar Sangakkara/Mahela Jayawardene (SL)	550
Tillakaratne Dilshan/ Mahela Jayawardene (SL)	426
Kumar Sangakkara/Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL)	418
Sanath Jayasuriya/Muttiah Muralitharan (SL)	408
Jacques Kallis/Mark Boucher (SA)	407
Rohit Sharma/Virat Kohli (IND)	400*
Sachin Tendulkar/ Rahul Dravid (IND)	391
Sanath Jayasuriya/Chaminda Vaas (SL)	391