Rohit Sharma retires: When Hitman marked 108 ODIs and 6-year wait for Test cap with a century

Rohit Sharma on Wednesday announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect ending speculations about his future in the longest format.

Rohit Sharma on Wednesday officially called time on his Test career, ending months of speculation with a quiet Instagram post that carried immense weight. "Hello everyone, I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. It's been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites," he wrote, alongside a picture of his cherished India Test cap. While the announcement closes a proud chapter in Indian cricket, it also brings into focus a journey marked by extraordinary patience, perseverance, and ultimately, redemption.

At 38, Rohit leaves the longest format having scored 4,301 runs in 67 Tests, with 12 hundreds and 18 fifties at an average of 40.57. But these numbers only tell half the story. Rohit Sharma’s Test career was not an overnight success—it was a pursuit years in the making, and perhaps one of the most delayed yet dramatic evolutions Indian cricket has seen.

A Talent Too Obvious, a Debut Too Elusive

Long before he became the trusted opener in Test cricket or India’s go-to man in limited-overs formats, Rohit was already being spoken of as the next big thing. The effortless timing, the lazy elegance—everything about his batting screamed class. Yet, for six long years, the door to Test cricket remained shut.

Rohit made his international debut in 2007, and quickly became a regular in India’s white-ball setup. But the red-ball call-up was elusive. Remarkably, he had played 108 ODIs—an Indian record—before finally receiving his Test cap in 2013.

He was slated to debut in 2010 in Nagpur against South Africa, but in what remains one of Indian cricket’s most heartbreaking near-misses, Rohit injured himself during warm-ups just minutes before the toss. The dream had to wait. Again.

But when the moment finally arrived, it was fittingly grand.

A Debut Worth the Wait

Rohit’s Test debut came during Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series against the West Indies in 2013. As if the occasion wasn’t emotional enough, Rohit scripted an innings that etched his name into the history books with a stunning 177 at Eden Gardens.

“All I can say, it (the wait to make debut) was worth it, it can't get better than this, such a memorable match, really happy with what we have achieved,” he said after the game.

Batting at No. 6, Rohit stitched a match-turning 280-run stand with Ravichandran Ashwin (124), rescuing India from a precarious 156/6. The West Indies had their foot in the door, but Rohit slammed it shut with authority.

"We knew we had to extend the partnership as much as we can to get a lead. It wasn't easy to bat, runs weren't coming easy, we just wanted to stick out there and capitalise on loose balls. I really love playing at Eden Gardens, the crowd was amazing... it's been a really memorable ground for me," said Rohit, who was adjudged Man of the Match.

Ashwin, who watched much of Rohit’s knock from the other end, described it simply: “It was a pleasure watching Rohit bat.”

The Second Coming

Rohit’s Test journey wasn’t linear even after that dream debut. He was in and out of the side, battling inconsistency and questions about temperament in overseas conditions. It wasn't until 2019, a full 12 years after his international debut, that Rohit found a second wind—this time as an opener in Tests. The experiment began against South Africa at home, where he scored twin centuries (176 and 127) in Visakhapatnam and a double hundred in Ranchi. From a middle-order hopeful to a mainstay at the top, he became India’s most prolific Test batter in the latter half of his career.

He captained India to the World Test Championship final in 2023, and despite a dip in form during the Border-Gavaskar series, his leadership and presence remained vital to the side. However, the signs of a winding-down career became evident when he dropped himself due to poor form—an act of honesty rarely seen in Indian cricket.

Behind the Curtain

In recent months, there were murmurs of a rift between Rohit and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, who had taken over with a firm mandate to "end the star culture." Both denied the reports, but the writing was on the wall. The graceful exit was perhaps Rohit’s way of ensuring dignity remained intact—just as it had through the years of waiting, and the fight to finally belong in the whites.

With his retirement from T20s post the World Cup last year and now from Tests, Rohit’s career moves into its final phase: as a limited-overs specialist, possibly gearing up for one last hurrah in ODIs.

But for those who followed his career closely, it will be hard to forget the story of the man who had to wait six years and 108 ODIs just to get a taste of Test cricket—and then made sure it was worth every minute of the wait.