Rohit Sharma was set to retire after MCG Test, 'well-wishers' forced him to change his mind: Report

Rohit Sharma was the worst performer among the batters for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring only 31 runs at a poor average of 6.2 in six innings.

Rohit Sharma was set to retire after MCG Test, 'well-wishers' forced him to change his mind: Report hrd

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is currently under fire following his abysmal performance with the willow in the recently concluded disastrous Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. Team India failed to defend their BGT title for the first time in 10 years as Australia reclaimed it after the same period of time with 3-1 series win. 

India’s performance and the senior players, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s failing to deliver have become a talking point and the review meeting also took place at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai. Rohit was the worst performer among the batters for India in the BGT, scoring only 31 runs at a poor average of 6.2 in six innings. After batting in the middle-order in Adelaide and Brisbane Tests, the 37-year-old moved back to the opener role at MCG. 

Also read: BCCI reviews India's Australia debacle: No knee-jerk decisions on Rohit and team ahead of Champions Trophy

However, that didn’t help Rohit Sharma as he failed to get going before he ‘stood down’ for the series decider in Sydney and handed over captaincy to Jasprit Bumrah, who led Team India to win in the Perth Opener. With the veteran Indian batter opting out of the crucial match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, many felt that MCG Test was his last appearance in international cricket. 

Rohit Sharma made up his mind on retirement

According to the report by Times of India (TOI), Rohit Sharma was set to retire from international cricket after the MCG Test despite the fact that he himself claimed that he was not going anywhere. 

However, the ‘wish wishers’ from the outside forced Rohit to change his mind on retirement from the sport after the fourth Test of the series against Australia in Melbourne, which India lost by 184 runs. 

“Rohit had made up his mind after MCG. Had his well-wishers from outside not him to change his mind, we could have well seen another retirement in Australia.” a source aware of developments told TOI. 

In the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ravichandran Ashwin announced a shock retirement from international cricket after the third Test ended in a draw at The Gabba. The veteran off-spinner played only the Pink Ball Test in Adelaide before he was dropped from the team to bring in Ravindra Jadeja into the playing XI for the Gabba Test. 

Gambhir unhappy with Rohit Sharma’s change of mind 

Meanwhile, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir was reportedly unhappy with Rohit Sharma changing his mind after making a decision to retire from international cricket. Before the SCG Test, Gambhir refused to confirm India’s captain's place in the playing XI. 

However, Rohit Sharma put on a brave face and informed that he was not willing to take a call on his retirement, speculating that he would play the Champions Trophy and England series. This statement seemed to have upset Gautam Gambhir, who was  expecting Rohit’s retirement after the BGT. 

Also read: Is this the end of Rohit Sharma's Test career? Hitman's struggles in 2024 raises questions about his future

Rohit Sharma’s poor form was discussed during the BCCI review meeting and the selectors cautioned to be worried about his place in the team. It has been reported that he would not be picked for the away Test series against England, which begins the India’s World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. 

The report further added that Rohit Sharma is likely to retire from international cricket after the Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to take place on February 19 to March 9. Sharma already retired from the T20Is after leading Team India to T20 World Cup triumph last year

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