Rohit Sharma England Century Is a Positive, But India Must Address Bumrah Concern

Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim believes Rohit Sharma’s century in the ODI series against England has silenced speculation surrounding his future, but says India’s biggest concern heading into the 2027 World Cup should be finding a reliable pace attack when Jasprit Bumrah is unavailable.

Speaking on JioHotstar’s Match Centre Live after England clinched the three-match series 2-1 with a 27-run win at Lord’s, Karim said India’s batting had few concerns, with the bowling unit emerging as the area requiring immediate attention.

“Rohit Sharma century put an end to all the speculation”

Karim felt India’s batting unit largely delivered throughout the series, highlighting Rohit Sharma, captain Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli among the positives.

He believes Rohit’s century in the decider answered many of the questions surrounding the veteran opener’s future.

“India have ticked several boxes. Rohit’s century put an end to all the speculation surrounding him. Shubman Gill scored runs, batted with great positivity and showed impressive leadership. So, I don’t see any major issues with the batting,” Karim said on JioHotstar’s *Match Centre Live*.

Karim, however, stressed that India’s planning must now shift towards identifying a dependable fast-bowling combination in matches where Bumrah is unavailable.

“India’s focus now should be on identifying the pace bowling attack if Jasprit Bumrah isn’t available. In these conditions, our young and inexperienced pace bowlers struggled a bit.”

He added that the upcoming ODI tour of New Zealand would provide India with an ideal opportunity to test different bowling combinations ahead of future ICC events.

“The upcoming five-match ODI tour of New Zealand will be a real test to evaluate these combinations.”

Karim also underlined the importance of having a wicket-taking wrist spinner in the middle overs and called for more opposition-specific planning.

“You need a wrist spinner who can provide wickets in the middle overs, whether that’s Kuldeep Yadav or someone else is a different discussion. India need to dive deeper into their planning according to the opposition, the conditions and the ground dimensions.”

Cheteshwar Pujara praises Rohit’s response to outside noise

Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara lauded Rohit’s composure during his century, saying the opener showed remarkable mental strength amid intense scrutiny.

“There was a lot of outside noise, but credit goes to Rohit for the way he handled himself. There was no pressure visible in his facial expressions or body language.”

Pujara also pointed out that Rohit’s innings reflected his willingness to adapt his game to the conditions rather than relying solely on his natural attacking instincts.

“It wasn’t a typical Rohit Sharma innings; he took his time and understood that this is also how you can bat in ODI cricket. Once he reached his fifty, he started accelerating.”

Irfan Pathan dismisses Lord’s milestone around Virat Kohli

Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan played down the significance of Virat Kohli finally registering a notable score at Lord’s, arguing that one venue should not define the former India captain’s legacy.

“Virat has scored runs everywhere in the world. Whether he scores runs at Lord’s or not shouldn’t be given that much importance.”

Pathan, however, praised Kohli’s approach during the chase.

“Once he got to around 45, he knew he had to switch gears because of the required run rate.”

Parthiv Patel identifies India’s finishing as the difference

Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel felt India matched England for most of the chase before the final three overs proved decisive.

“Until the 47th over, India was actually ahead of England in the run chase. Those last three overs changed the game completely.”

Patel added that India’s young bowlers would learn valuable lessons from England’s death bowling, while also praising Rohit’s measured century.

“Credit to Rohit Sharma as well. He batted brilliantly. He took his time, understood the pace of the game and played an outstanding knock.”