Rohit shrugs off retirement speculation after record-breaking Lord's century

LONDON: Former India captain Rohit Sharma brushed aside growing speculation over his retirement after producing a magnificent century in the third and final ODI against England at Lord's, insisting that outside "noise" does not affect his focus.

Although India suffered a 27-run defeat while chasing a daunting target, Rohit's superb 138 off 110 deliveries kept the visitors in contention before they eventually fell short.

Reflecting on the series, Rohit admitted the result was disappointing but believed India had played quality cricket throughout.

"A little disappointed with the result. I thought we were playing really good cricket," Rohit told BCCI.tv after the match.

"The way we started in Birmingham, we played really good cricket. We fell a little short at Cardiff with the bat — there was not enough score on the board. And here at Lord's, that was a massive total to chase.

"We tried everything we could with the bat, but again fell short by 27 runs."

The century was particularly significant as it came amid intense debate over Rohit's future in international cricket. The 39-year-old responded in emphatic fashion, becoming the first Indian batter to score an ODI century at Lord's.

The knock also saw Rohit register his eighth ODI century in England, equalling Marcus Trescothick's tally and moving behind only Joe Root, who leads the list with 10 hundreds.

Rohit said he relishes playing in English conditions because of the challenges they present.

"I love playing in England, there is no doubt about it.

"The atmosphere, the ground, the pitches — when you turn up here to play any format, it challenges you in different ways and that's what you want as a cricketer.

"You want to be challenged all the time and I had my time in the middle. I enjoyed it."

During his innings, Rohit shared a crucial 113-run partnership with Virat Kohli as the experienced duo attempted to steer India towards the imposing target.

The opener praised his long-time batting partner, highlighting the understanding they have developed over the years.

"Virat and I have played our entire careers together, so it was nice to have him in the middle.

"We've had a lot of partnerships. It is always fun batting together because we understand each other so well.

"It is always nice in the middle, bouncing off ideas and trying to see what we can do. There was a lot of conversation between us while we were batting."

India, however, missed the services of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the decider, with their relatively inexperienced bowling attack struggling to contain England at the Home of Cricket.

Rohit urged patience with the young bowlers, saying they would improve with experience.

"When it comes to bowling, you have to understand these guys haven't played a lot of ODI cricket.

"You have to give them some time. Hopefully, we can learn from this game, take it in our stride and make sure that when we come across a situation like that again, we perform better.

"We have to move on from this and see how we can improve as a group, not just as individuals. A collective effort is needed and that's what the team should be focusing on."

With the ICC Cricket World Cup approaching next year and India continuing to shape their final squad, Rohit insisted he remains solely focused on contributing to the team's success rather than paying attention to speculation surrounding his future.

"My job is with the bat — to come and play, represent my country and represent my team. That's what I have been told to do since my debut, and that's what I am going to do.

"The noise has been there since I made my debut, and it will remain as long as I am here.

"It doesn't really matter too much. What matters is what I do on the field and how I contribute to the team's success. That's all my focus is right now. And let the noise be there. If there is no noise, there is no fun."