Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from Test cricket after reports of being removed from captaincy. He expressed gratitude for representing India and confirmed his continued participation in ODIs.
Indian batting stalwart Rohit Sharma has announced his decision to retire from Test Cricket after reports of his sacking from the captaincy duties in the longest format of the game on Wednesday, May 7.
Rohit Sharma, who is currently plying his trade for Mumbai Indians in the ongoing IPL 2025, played his Test against Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Before the veteran Indian batter decided to call it quits from Test Cricket, The Indian Express reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee decided to remove Rohit Sharma as a captain and pick a new face to lead Team India in the upcoming Test tour of England.
Rohit expressed his desire to lead Team India in the five-match Test series against England after successfully captaining the Men in Blue to Champions Trophy in March this year. It has been reported that the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar had a series of discussions on the future of the Indian Test Team before sharing their vision for the future with the BCCI. The selectors’ decision to remove Rohit Sharma from Test captaincy due to his recent performances in the red-ball.
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Rohit Sharma's statement
Soon after the reports emerged that Rohit Sharma has been sacked from captaincy duties in Test, the veteran batter took his Instagram story to inform his decision to retire from the longest format of the game, adding that he felt honoured to represent India in whites. The right-handed batter has asserted that he will continue to play for India in ODIs.
"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," Rohit wrote along with a picture of Test Cap number ‘280’.
"Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format." he added.
Rohit Sharma has already retired from the T20Is after leading Team India to the T20 World Cup triumph last year, defeating South Africa in the final. However, the veteran batter did not have an ideal ending to his Test career as he had a disastrous series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring just 31 runs at an abysmal average of 6.2 in five innings. He had to step down from captaincy duties for the Sydney Test due to poor form.
Rohit Sharma’s Test career
Rohit Sharma had a brilliant start to his Test career by registering his maiden century in the format on debut against West Indies, scoring 177 runs off 301 balls at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata in 2013.
Rohit finishes his Test career with 4301 runs, including 12 centuries and 18 fifties, at an average of 40.57 in 67 matches. The right-handed batter’s only double century came against South Africa in 2019, scoring 212 off 255 balls. Following his retirement from Test Cricket, Rohit Sharma is left with only ODIs as his only international format, which will continue to feature, keeping in mind the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Rohit’s captaincy saw India reach the final of the WTC against Australia, though his own form dipped in recent assignments, including the home series against New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. In the latter, he dropped himself from the playing XI due to poor form, though he had then denied any plans of retirement.
With Rohit stepping aside, the Indian team management now faces the task of appointing a new Test captain ahead of the five-match series in England. Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant are among the frontrunners for the role.
