Why did Saikia have to offer a clarification? What is ahead for Rohit now?

Ritik Sharma (Noida): For the last three to four days, the name that has been the talk of the town in Indian cricket is Rohit Sharma. Yesterday, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia put a stop, to some extent, to all those speculations that were bent on giving Rohit a farewell match at the Lord’s ground. From here in Noida, I made as much effort as possible to discuss this matter thoroughly with my reliable contacts. Because this issue was so significant - being a news piece about a legendary batsman of ODI cricket - I thought, why not cover it properly?

Whatever I have written so far on Twitter or here in this blog, things now seem to be clearly playing out that way. Now, this story is based on the updates given to me by my sources until this morning.

How do you think a single piece of retirement news created such a stir within the BCCI? What my sources have told me is that Rohit caused a bit of a commotion inside the BCCI with just one or two phone calls. This happened yesterday evening between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM London time, where Rohit called someone (I cannot take their name here) and told them to provide a solution for whatever was happening on the internet, and from what I am hearing, some personal matters were also discussed. After that, that person called people holding high positions in the BCCI and conveyed all of Rohit’s concerns and discussions. Although BCCI officials were serious about the rumoured news of Rohit's retirement even before this, they remained silent until a call from a high-profile person reached the office. Then what happened? Saikia spoke openly to PTI and ANI, stating that this report is just a fabricated story with absolutely no reality behind it.

High-Profile Calls and the BCCI's Response

Some people are still saying that perhaps the BCCI Secretary said all this just to cool down the uproar created on the internet. However, I will also address the point that if that were the case, Saikia or anyone from the BCCI would not have come out before the media; this is a matter of common sense. This wasn't retirement news about a minor player; this was news about a player who has scored three double centuries in this format for India, who delivered two ICC trophies into India's hands in a single year, and a player who has 50 centuries in his career. So, before stating so boldly that there is no substance in the reports circulating on social media, they would think many times, because if the report turned out to be true, they would get trapped in their own words.

The Road Ahead for Rohit Sharma

Now let's talk about what lies ahead for Rohit. Look, there are very good journalists in the media who actually think before they speak, but even today, there are many who twist someone else's news and post it without verification, and unfortunately, people accept it as the truth. The Lord's match will be very crucial for Rohit, a point I also agree with, and Rohit must know very well what he needs to do on that day. His future story is certainly in his own hands.

Gill has already termed Virat and Rohit as vital parts of the team, then the batting coach has also told Rohit not to take any pressure, and now the BCCI itself has commented on this, so I am fully confident that Rohit will remain with the team. It is possible that Jaiswal might be called into the team, but this will by no means mean that Rohit will not be picked going forward. The next series is now in September against the Windies, which will be a home series occurring after a gap of almost two months following the Lord's match, and after that, 5 matches in New Zealand. So, Rohit will have to prove himself with the bat in every series so that no one can manufacture such a report again.

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