'We have never seen him playing like that' - Aakash Chopra on 3rd ODI at Lord's reportedly being Rohit Sharma's last international game

Aakash Chopra shared his views on the reports suggesting that the third ODI between India and England could be Rohit Sharma's final international appearance.

The former India opener said that Rohit has changed his game in recent times, understanding the importance of him being at the crease for longer periods. Previously, the former India skipper's primary target had been to look to get maximum runs inside the power play and batting deep into an innings was secondary.

"One thing is that Rohit has realized that he is the father of daddy hundreds, and quantity is required along with quality, and it's required as an opener. He realized that he needs to look fit and that he cannot be a liability on the field. So he came with great fitness, and then he started playing slightly conservatively," Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

"He has changed his playing style. There was a time when he alone used to hit 50 in the Powerplay. If you see yesterday's match, he got out in the 18th over after scoring 26 runs. We have never seen Rohit playing like that," he added.

"No matter how beautiful a story is, eventually it has to end" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma's potential goodbye to international cricket

Aakash Chopra said that every illustrious career has to end at some point and added that looking at youngsters isn't the wrong move as Rohit is already 39 years old.

"I think there are two ways to look at it. One is that no matter how beautiful a story is, eventually it has to end. Ultimately, everybody has to say goodbye. Rohit Sharma is 39 years old. He will become 40 next year. The World Cup is one-and-a-half years away. So he will be more than 40. If the Indian team has to go towards someone else, this is the time," he said.

Chopra highlighted that Rohit's numbers in ODI cricket have not been great since the 2025 Champions Trophy and selectors might have wanted to give Yashasvi Jaiswal a consistent run.

"If you see his numbers from the Champions Trophy, you would say he has scored runs. It's been okay. It's not excellent, but it's not like the numbers have been very bad. Maybe this is the time. The selectors might have told him that they are going elsewhere. Maybe Yashasvi Jaiswal's time is about to come. So this is it. That's one way of looking at it," Chopra observed.

While the cricketer-turned-expert noted that Rohit could have been given a slightly longer rope, he said that it would have been a tough call.

"Could a little more time have been given? Could you have waited a little longer, as one-and-a-half years are left? Again, you keep getting closer to the D-day, but I am myself saying that one-and-a-half years are left. So you could have waited a little. However, it was always going to be a tough one," he noted.