India bowling coach Morne Morkel says 'no worries' over Rohit Sharma

LONDON: India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has dismissed the concerns regarding the future of experienced top-order batter Rohit Sharma on the eve of their ODI series decider against England, scheduled to be played here at Lord's.

Rohit, who made a scratchy 26 off 47 in the second ODI, which England won comprehensively by four wickets to level the series 1-1, was backed by Morkel to work his way out of the poor run of form which saw him score only one half-century in his previous eight appearances, which came against Afghanistan in Chennai last month.

"No doubt Rohit will work it out. He has done it in the past. He is experienced. And he just brings that calmness to the batting line-up. So without a doubt, no worries and concerns at all with the way he is going about things," Morkel told reporters during the pre-match press conference.

Notably, Morkel's remarks came just briefly after the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia categorically dismissed widely circulating reports within Indian media that the Men in Blue's third and final ODI at Lord's would be Sharma's last.

"There are lot of speculations going on in media about Rohit Sharma's future. I want to firmly assert that there has been no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match at Lord's on Sunday," Saikia said in a statement to the media.

"Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team and he will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things. In other words, Lord's ODI won't be his last match," Saikia added.

For the unversed, a renowned Indian news website had reported earlier this week that the country's selection committee had spoken to the former captain alongside head coach Gautam Gambhir last week and revealed its plans going forward.

The report further claimed that the selection committee wants to instead give the opportunity to youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, adding that the 39-year-old was no longer part of its plans for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year.

"Selectors have informed Rohit he is not in their scheme of things post the England tour and they are moving on from him after this series," the report quoted a source in the BCCI as saying.

"Though he wanted to continue, especially after working on his fitness. The selectors have left the ball in Sharma's court to decide his future," it added.