
Rohit Sharma arrives at The Oval on Day 3, refuses to speak on India's performance vs England
Quite understandably, his entry was captured by reporters, who even requested Rohit for his reaction to the riveting action between India and England but the former skipper denied speaking to the media and walked inside.
The cameras once again found Rohit in the Oval stands towards the end of the first session of the day's play. Dressed in a casual black denim shacket and jeans, Rohit looked relaxed as always.
"He would be pretty happy with what he has been seeing this morning," said Mel Jones on commentary when the cameras panned to Rohit. She was referring to India's strong position in the match. They led by 166 runs with seven wickets in the bank at the end of the first session on Day 3.
There has been no confirmation on whether Rohit would enter the Indian dressing room during or after the day's play to share his input, but the chances of that cannot be ruled out.
Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket a few days before the selectors announced India's squad for the England tour. His retirement was followed by Virat Kohli's.
In 67 Tests, Rohit scored 4301 runs at an average of 40.58. His Test career took a different turn after he decided to open the batting in 2019. He did an excellent job at the top of the order for five years before things crumbled down from the New Zealand series at home. Rohit's performance nosedived against New Zealand and it got worse when India toured Australia earlier this year.
After being unable to perform with the bat, he dropped himself from the XI in the last Test in Sydney and then announced his retirement from red-ball cricket in the middle of the IPL.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee appointed Shubman Gill as the captain of the Indian Test side. Rohit, however, is still officially the captain of India's ODI team.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Economic Times
28 minutes ago
- Economic Times
PCB issues 'blanket ban' on future participation in WCL
Agencies Pakistan players in WCL The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced a blanket ban on its players' participation in future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), accusing the tournament organisers of being "biased" and lacking sporting integrity. The decision follows a sequence of events in which the Indian team forfeited both their group-stage clash and semifinal against Pakistan, citing the country's stand against bilateral sporting ties with the neighbouring country after the gruesome Pahalagam terror attack. "The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces that it is issuing a blanket ban from future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL)," the PCB said in a statement after its board of governors meeting held virtually under the chairmanship of Mohsin Naqvi. The PCB also took strong exception to the WCL's decision to award points to India despite the forfeiture, calling it "tainted with hypocrisy and bias." India and Pakistan had been slated to meet in the group stage, but the Indian side -- featuring Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Harbhajan Singh -- refused to play, citing national sentiment following the terror attack and India's subsequent 'Operation Sindoor'. With India also pulling out of the semifinal, Pakistan advanced directly to the final. "The PCB reviewed with considerable disappointment WCL's appalling conduct of awarding points to a willfully forfeiting team, and the content of the press releases of the WCL announcing the cancellation of the scheduled India vs. Pakistan legends matches, which were tainted with hypocrisy and bias." Criticising the tournament's handling of the situation, the PCB said, "The cancellation was not based on cricketing merit but on appeasing a specific nationalistic narrative. This sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community." The board further stated that it could not allow its players to participate in events where "the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed politics that undermine the very essence of sportsmanship and the gentleman's game." The WCL, which is co-owned by Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, had earlier issued an apology for "hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions" following the cancellation of the group stage match. "We sincerely apologise again for hurting the sentiments and hope people will understand that all we ever wanted was to bring a few happy moments to the fans," the WCL had said. The PCB, however, termed the apology "farcical," accusing the organisers of caving to "a specific nationalistic narrative." "The WCL's apology for "hurting the sentiments", whilst being farcical, inadvertently acknowledges that the cancellation was not based on cricketing merit, but rather on succumbing to a specific nationalistic narrative," the PCB said. "This bias, masquerading as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community." PCB said it had no choice but to implement the ban. "In light of this unfortunate development, which underscores a clear and intolerable pattern of external influence and a disregard for the principles of sporting neutrality, the Pakistan Cricket Board is compelled to take a firm stance. "The PCB can no longer condone participation in an event where the fundamental principles of fair play and unbiased administration are compromised by external pressures," it added. Sources in the know of things have indicated that WCL's Indian promoters were already considering dropping the Pakistan team from future editions of the tournament.


Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
MS Dhoni keeps retirement plans quiet but promises CSK will be 'quite sorted' next year: ‘We were slightly worried…'
After a forgettable IPL 2025 campaign where Chennai Super Kings finished bottom of the table, MS Dhoni, who took over the captaincy of the franchise mid-way through the season after an injury to Ruturaj Gaikwad, offered a clear-eyed assessment of the team's struggles and the road ahead. Speaking at a private function, the CSK legend acknowledged the batting issues that plagued the five-time champions and revealed that Ruturaj Gaikwad's return would be key in reviving their fortunes next season. MS Dhoni during IPL 2025(PTI) Dhoni, who rarely makes public appearances, revealed that the team's batting concerns should ease with Gaikwad's return and all but confirmed the franchise's plans to retain the stylish opener. 'We are slightly worried about our batting order. But I think our batting order is quite sorted out now. Rutu (Gaikwad) will be coming back. He got injured. But he will be coming back. So, we are quite sorted now,' he said. Dhoni oversaw a turbulent campaign where CSK won just four out of 14 matches. The absence of an in-form top order left the side vulnerable throughout the tournament. Gaikwad's injury, coupled with an unsettled middle order, proved costly as CSK failed to mount any serious challenge. The 27-year-old last played for CSK on April 8 against Punjab Kings at Mullanpur. He briefly agreed to play county cricket for Yorkshire but later withdrew, citing personal reasons. He has now been named in the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, indicating his return to competitive cricket is on track. Dhoni on CSK's prolonged struggles Dhoni also acknowledged the franchise's shortcomings over the past two seasons and indicated that changes were on the horizon with the IPL mini-auction coming up in December. 'I won't say we (CSK) slacked off (in IPL 2025). But there were certain holes that we needed to plug in. A small auction is coming in December. Some loopholes are there, and we will try to plug those in,' he said. With back-to-back underwhelming seasons, Dhoni said it was crucial to reflect on what went wrong and focus on course correction. 'Yes, the last couple of years have not been good for us. We have not been up to the mark. But what is important is for you to see the learnings. Yes, you had a bad season. But what went wrong? And that was the question for us last year also,' he said. Dhoni, however, didn't address his future with CSK. There had been a hint about Dhoni considering whether he would turn up for another season after CSK's last match of the season, where he stated that he would assess how his body recovers.


India Today
28 minutes ago
- India Today
Murali Sreeshankar continues magical run after injury, secures 3rd straight title
India's star long jumper, Murali Sreeshankar, continued his fine run after making a return from injury, securing his third straight title as he won the event at the Qosanov Memorial Athletics Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Saturday, August 3. The 26-year-old produced a winning jump of 7.94m in his first attempt to secure the top spot at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze label (category C) meet. advertisementHis other efforts were 7.73m, 7.58m, 7.57m, 7.80m and 7.79m. Sreeshankar's personal best is 8.41m. This was the Indian ace's third competition since returning from a knee injury which he suffered in April last year. This was Sreeshankar's third competition since returning from a knee injury, which he suffered in April last year. The issue forced the 26-year-old to undergo surgery and miss the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Also Read: Olympic gold-medalist Sha'Carri Richardson arrested over alleged domestic assault Before suffering the injury, Sreeshankar last appearance on the field was during the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in 2023. The 26-year-old secured the silver medal at the Games and looked prime for a good run at the Olympics. Sreeshankar had made a stunning return to the field earlier in the year at the Pune Open, where he secured the win with a 8.05 m jump to secure the top spot. He then continued his fine run at the Meeting Maia Cidade do Desporto in Portugal where he once again came on top. Sreeshankar won in Portugal with a jump of 7.75 m before heading to Kazakhstan. While the Indian ace wasn't able to get into the 8-metre mark on Saturday, he showed good consistency with the rest of his jumps, securing a strong finish and the top step of the podium. Sreeshankar is yet to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. The qualification mark has been set at 8.27m. - EndsMust Watch