Azharuddin backs Rohit Sharma to play in 2027 World Cup after Lord's century

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Ex-India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin applauded Rohit Sharma following his historic century against England at Lord’s, highlighting that the veteran opener showed he still possesses the quality to dominate international cricket with his brilliant batting.

Azharuddin added that Sharma delivered a top-tier display and voiced confidence that the batter will remain active in international cricket and compete in the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Sharma wrote his name into cricket history by becoming the first Indian batter to register a three-figure mark in ODIs at the venue, hammering 138 runs from 110 deliveries. Widely regarded as one of the game’s most fluent white-ball ball-strikers, Sharma achieved the landmark during India’s third ODI against England on Sunday.

However, for India, despite Rohit’s magnificent effort, the visitors succumbed to a 27-run defeat, reaching only 360-7 in their allotted 50 overs against England’s formidable 387-3.

“He played well. He proved that he can still play. I believe he will play in the 2027 World Cup,” Azharuddin said.

England beat India at Lord’s to win the ODI series 2-1

Azharuddin further mentioned that England thoroughly outplayed the visitors, noting that while the Indian side boasts world-class talent, the batting unit struggled to adapt to game situations.

“I saw the highlights. England played well. We have outstanding players, but they failed to adjust their batting according to the situation. The youngsters are playing really well,” he added.

Rohit’s magnificent innings ultimately ended in disappointment as England claimed a 27-run victory in the third ODI at Lord’s to clinch the three-match series 2-1.

The hosts scored a ground-record ODI tally of 387/3, led by Ben Duckett’s 141, Jacob Bethell’s 91, an unbeaten 74 from Joe Root, and a quickfire 41* from Jos Buttler.
India appeared well-positioned during Rohit’s 147-run opening partnership with Shubman Gill (77) and a subsequent 113-run union with Virat Kohli (74), before suffering a late-order collapse from 304/2. Left-arm seamer Sam Curran picked up four wickets as England stayed composed to lock down the series win.

Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul failed to make an impact with the bat as India’s middle-order struggle continued throughout the UK tour.

(With inputs from ANI)

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