India, Sept. 17 -- There was a time, not very long ago, when every Rohit Sharma innings seemed to arrive carrying an uncomfortable question. He was no longer India's ODI captain, he had retired from Tests and T20Is, younger openers were crowding the queue, and the 2027 World Cup was still distant enough for the selectors to contemplate a future without him. Now, Rohit is back in India's ODI squad for the home series against West Indies. Nothing about that selection guarantees him a place at the 2027 World Cup, nor should it. But it does underline how dramatically the conversation around him has changed in the space of two months.

At Lord's in July, there was serious discussion over whether Rohit's international career might be approachin...