Rohit Sharma’s injury during the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) has left the Indian selectors and the BCCI disappointed because of the way he handled the situation.
As India begins planning for the ICC World Cup 2027, the selectors and team management are worried about whether Rohit Sharma can keep his body fit and fresh for another long cycle.
BCCI upset over Rohit Sharma’s IPL 2026 injury handling
Rohit picked up a hamstring injury during Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 12. He looked in pain while batting and had to retire hurt. After that match, Rohit missed five straight matches for MI because of the hamstring injury.
The former Indian captain returned to action on May 4 against Lucknow Super Giants, but during those three weeks away from the actions during the ongoing IPL 2026, another thing reportedly left the BCCI frustrated.
A Times of India report said that Rohit did not report to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence during his recovery period, and that has increased concerns inside the Indian setup.
'Rohit Sharma didn’t report to BCCI’s CoE
Rohit has now become leaner and worked hard on his fitness, but the management still feels that ODI cricket is extremely demanding physically, especially for a player nearing 40, and the selectors are not fully sure if his body can manage that workload till the ICC World Cup 2027.
A BCCI source said, “Rohit didn’t report to the BCCI’s center of excellence (CoE) for those three weeks. He has become lean, but there are concerns about his body being able to take the load of high-performance sport. He has to field for 50 overs. ODI cricket doesn’t have the option of an impact player like the IPL. The body takes time to heal when you are so close to turning 40.”
There is another big concern. Actually, the Indian cricket team does not have too many ODI matches before the 2027 World Cup, so the selectors have very little time to test new opening combinations.
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India already preparing backup opening plans
Because of this, the Indian team management has already started thinking about backup plans. Yashasvi Jaiswal is seen as an important future opener, while Ishan Kishan is also being looked at as a backup option who can open the innings and keep wickets if needed.
The source shared, “There aren’t many ODIs before the World Cup. As it is, Jaiswal hasn’t gotten enough game time. Ishan has been picked so that he can double up as an opener. But if Rohit Sharma fails to make it to the World Cup and either Shubman Gill or Jaiswal gets injured, there needs to be another opener ready.”
Notably, Rohit has so far scored 283 runs in 8 matches for Mumbai Indians during the ongoing IPL 2026 at a strike rate of 160.79 and an average of 40.42. He will be closely monitored by the team management during the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.
