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.