Rohit Sharma delivers statement century at Lord’s despite India’s loss to England

By Arjun Nair / 20.07.2026

By Arjun Nair — 19 July 2026 — 3 min read

Rohit Sharma delivered a significant century at Lord’s during the third ODI against England on Sunday, amidst ongoing speculation about his future in international cricket. Despite his individual performance, India ultimately lost the match by 27 runs, resulting in England winning the series 2-1.

The match saw England set a formidable target, posting 387/3 in 50 overs, which marked the highest total at the venue. This score intensified the pressure on Rohit Sharma and the Indian batting lineup. India, without Jasprit Bumrah due to an impact injury, faced a challenging chase.

Rohit Sharma, who walked out to bat with Shubman Gill, scored 138 runs off 110 balls. His innings lasted for approximately 175 minutes. He demonstrated his ability to construct an innings and attack bowlers, a performance that many had not seen from him recently in ODIs.

Rohit’s Masterful Innings

The innings by Rohit Sharma was a response to recent discussions about his form and potential retirement. He started cautiously against Jofra Archer but soon increased his scoring rate, particularly against Josh Tongue and Sam Curran. He reached his 50 in as many balls and continued to build momentum.

His partnership with Shubman Gill, who scored 77 runs, was crucial in the early stages of India’s chase. The two ensured that India did not lose early wickets while pursuing a challenging target. After Gill’s departure, Rohit Sharma continued to anchor the innings, rotating the strike and finding boundaries.

The much-anticipated milestone arrived in the 31st over when Rohit Sharma hit Adil Rashid for a boundary, bringing up his 36th ODI hundred in just 84 balls. The celebration was understated; he simply raised his bat and acknowledged the applause before being embraced by Virat Kohli, who scored 74 runs.

This century held historical significance, as Rohit Sharma became the first Indian batter to score an ODI hundred at Lord’s. His score of 138 surpassed Sourav Ganguly’s 90 in 2004 as the highest individual score by an Indian at the venue. Additionally, at 39 years and 80 days, he became the oldest batter to score an ODI century at Lord’s and the oldest Indian cricketer to score an international hundred across all formats.

His performance also enhanced his impressive record in England, marking his eighth ODI hundred in the country. This achievement makes him the visiting batter with the most ODI hundreds in a single nation, surpassing records held by players like Sachin Tendulkar and Saeed Anwar.

The Chase and Aftermath

Despite Rohit Sharma’s efforts, the chase remained difficult. With England’s bowlers taking pace off the ball and strategic field placements, hitting boundaries consistently became challenging. Rohit Sharma attempted to accelerate further, aiming for high-scoring overs against bowlers like Bethell. It was in this attempt that he eventually fell after his 110-ball 138.

After his dismissal, India’s innings faltered, going from 304/2 to 329/7. Sam Curran played a key role in restricting India, taking 4/75. Ultimately, India finished at 360/7 in 50 overs, falling short by 27 runs.

The match concluded with Rohit Sharma walking back to a standing ovation from the crowd at Lord’s. While the result was not in India’s favour, his century was seen as a strong statement, potentially buying him more time regarding his future selection for the next ODI series in September.

Brief scores for the match were: England 387/3 in 50 overs (Ben Duckett 141, Jacob Bethell 91, Joe Root 74 not out, Jos Buttler 41 not out; Arshdeep Singh 2/72) beat India 360/7 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 138, Shubman Gill 77, Virat Kohli 74; Sam Curran 4/75) by 27 runs.

Source: newindianexpress.com