Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India captain Rohit Sharma has announced an abrupt retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect, adding that he will continue to play in ODIs. Rohit’s decision means that a new skipper will be in place for the Indian team when they tour England for a five-match Test series starting on June 20.
Placing his Test cap number 280 in an Instagram story posted on May 7 evening, Rohit wrote, “Hello everyone I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. Its been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format.”
Rohit had struggled in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, which India lost 3-1. He averaged just 6.20 in five innings and also dropped himself for the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Before that, Rohit had a forgettable time in India’s 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand, averaging just 15.16.
It is understood that his decision to quit from red ball cricket was to create a Test team for the future, especially with the Test tour of England marking the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
“This was a development which had been in the making for a long time, despite him claiming during the TV interview in Sydney Test that he won’t be going away anytime soon. So, one can say that the writing was on the wall. Subsequently, the selection of Test team for the upcoming England tour has been deferred by two weeks,” said a source.
Rohit ends his Test career which began with a century on debut against the West Indies in Kolkata in 2013 with 4,301 runs coming from 67 Tests at an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries and 18 fifties. Rohit led India in 24 Tests, winning 12 and losing nine games.
In June 2024, Rohit had announced his retirement from T20Is after India beat South Africa by seven runs to win the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. With Rohit announcing retirement from Tests, Shubman Gill is the front-runner to be the next Test captain, as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee aims to infuse some new blood into the side.