Rohit Sharma becomes first Indian batter to score an ODI century at Lord's despite India's loss

Dubai: Rohit Sharma became the first Indian batter to score an ODI century at Lord's today, reaching three figures off 84 balls in the series-deciding third ODI against England. It's his 34th century in the format and his first of 2026.

He brought it up in style, hitting Josh Tongue for two consecutive sixes to move through the 90s before completing the milestone, to a standing ovation from the Lord's crowd. He went on to add further runs, battling through cramp, before falling for a valiant 138.

England won the toss, chose to bat, and posted 387 for 3, built on a 192-run opening stand between Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett. Bethell fell for 91, Duckett went on to 141 off 135 balls before being caught and bowled off a slower delivery, and Joe Root continued his rich vein of form with an unbeaten 74. Harry Brook made 14 before Prasidh Krishna removed him. India's bowling attack was without an injured Jasprit Bumrah throughout.

In reply, Rohit and Shubman Gill put on 147 for the first wicket before Gill was trapped lbw by Adil Rashid for 77. Virat Kohli then joined Rohit, and the pair added further runs before Rohit's dismissal broke the stand.

England held on to win by 27 runs, sealing the series 2-1 despite Rohit's 138 and a fighting half-century from Kohli, his highest score at Lord's in international cricket. Once Rohit fell, the required rate crept beyond India's reach. Sam Curran's variations troubled the middle order, and Jacob Bethell chipped in with a handy spell despite being a part-time bowler. Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar put on a late 36-run stand to add some respectability to the chase, but it wasn't enough. India finished on 360 all out.

Rohit and Kohli's appearance together also marked their 400th international match as a pair, the first time any Indian duo has reached that landmark. They now sit seventh on the all-time list of pairs to have played that many matches together, behind Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who lead with 550.

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh rang Lord's traditional five-minute bell ahead of play, a nod to his own history at the ground from India's 2002 NatWest Series final win. MS Dhoni, Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd and Kumar Sangakkara were among the guests in attendance, along with Rohit's wife, Ritika Sajdeh.

The team also wore black armbands in tribute to West Indies great Sir Garfield Sobers, who died on Friday aged 89.

The century comes amid weeks of retirement speculation, after Rohit managed just 11 and 26 in the first two ODIs of the series. The BCCI had already dismissed talk that this would be his farewell match, and today's 138 gives that position considerable weight, regardless of how the chase ends.