Former India captain Rohit Sharma has dismissed speculation about his international future, stating his sole focus remains on representing the country and contributing to the team's success. The 39-year-old's comments came after he struck a blistering 138 off 110 balls in India's unsuccessful chase in the third and final ODI against England at Lord's on Sunday.

Sharma has long said he plans to play in the 2027 ICC World Cup. The hundred ended a lean run in which he had gone 11 ODIs without reaching three figures, fueling questions about his place before next year's World Cup. However, the opener retained the backing of the team management.

“My job is with the bat, come and play, represent my country, represent my team. That’s what I have been told to do since my debut, so that’s what I am going to do,” Sharma said in an interview on the BCCI website.

“The noise since I made my debut was there. And till the time I am going to stay here, it is always going to be there. So it doesn’t really matter too much. What matters is what I do on the field, try and contribute to the success of the team. That’s all my focus is right now. And let the noise be there. If there is no noise, there is no fun.”

Despite Sharma's innings, India lost the match and conceded the ODI series 2-1. India next travel to Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series before touring Sri Lanka for a Test series.

Source: www.aljazeera.com