Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 18: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has dismissed speculation that veteran opener Rohit Sharma will retire from international cricket after the third and final ODI against England at Lord's on July 19.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said there had been no discussion with Rohit regarding retirement and asserted that the India captain would continue to represent the country as long as he remained an integral part of the team's plans.

"There are a lot of speculations going on in the media about Rohit Sharma's future. I want to firmly assert that there has been no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match at Lord's on Sunday. Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team and he will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things. In other words, the Lord's ODI won't be his last match," Saikia told PTI.

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also backed the experienced opener despite his lean run in the ongoing series against England.

"I don't think a big player like Rohit Sharma can have any sort of pressure. He's too good a player to feel that. Yes, he didn't get runs in the opening two matches, but I don't think that makes any difference. Today also it looked like he would probably get a good innings. But that's okay," Kotak said at the post-match press conference.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Rohit has not informed the BCCI, the national selectors or the Indian team management of any decision to retire from international cricket.

Speculation over the 39-year-old's future has intensified in recent days due to his poor run of form, but there has been no official communication from any stakeholder regarding his retirement.

India's next ODI assignment is a series against Sri Lanka in September. Rohit will be aiming to make a strong impact in the Lord's ODI as he looks to reaffirm his place in the side amid continued scrutiny over his form.