Rohit Sharma might have ended the retirement speculations with a stunning century at Lord’s, but there is still no clarity on whether he is part of India’s plan for the ICC ODI World Cup 2026.
Amid the uncertainties, the 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal has come out in full support of the former Indian captain. He believes that Rohit should continue playing as long as he is performing well and scoring runs for the national team, as he is active only in ODI cricket.
Rohit Sharma gets massive backing as Madan Lal Slams retirement talk
Rohit Sharma’s future in international cricket is dominating the headlines, with many reports claiming that he would take retirement at Lord’s after the final ODI against England. However, the Hitman silenced his critics with a brilliant 138 runs from 110 balls after some ordinary performances. Amid this, Madan Lal blames selectors over Virat Kohli’s Test retirement.
As the former Indian captain didn’t announce his retirement, Madan Lal has stressed that every cricketer has to retire one day, but there is no reason to ask a player to leave if he is still performing well. He said Rohit has every right to continue playing if he is still contributing with the bat.
Madan Lala said on the KADAK YouTube channel, “Everyone has to retire one day. Whether it’s today or tomorrow, every player eventually has to leave the field. But if Rohit Sharma is performing well and still wants to play, then people should simply stay quiet.
If you have the courage, then go ahead and drop him. He’s performing, after all. That’s how it should be. It shouldn’t be that you go to him and say, ‘You’re no longer in our plans.’ He has every right to ask, ‘Why? I’m scoring runs and playing well, so why am I not in your plans?”
Madan Lal hails Rohit Sharma’s unique batting
The former Indian all-rounder also said Rohit brings something special to the batting line-up. He pointed out that very few batters can dominate bowling attacks with the same ease and range of shots that Rohit has shown throughout his career, especially in white-ball cricket.
He further explained his point by saying, “I don’t understand why we keep going after players. Anyone who plays for the country cares about their performance. He wants to perform, and he wants to do well. We need a player like Rohit Sharma.
The kind of shots he can play and the way he bats—no one else on our team can do that. I’ve never seen anyone in Indian cricket bat quite like him. We’ve had many great players, but the way Rohit bats is different.”
Madan Lal defends Rohit Sharma, says one player can’t win every match
The former Team India manager also reminded everyone that cricket is a team game and no player can win every match alone, so it is unfair to blame Rohit for the team’s struggles.
Lal signed off by saying, “Look, if Rohit Sharma plays five matches and wins just two of them for me, then he’s a very good player for me. No one can win every match, and no captain can lead the team to victory every single time.”
Notably, Rohit has so far managed 379 runs, including one century and one fifty, at an average of 42.11 and a strike rate close to 100 in nine matches in 2026.
