Rohit Sharma has called time on his Test cricket career, confirming his intention to continue appearing in One-Day Internationals, where he remains India’s captain. This announcement comes right before a crucial period for India as they prepare for a five-Test series against England starting on 20th June at Headingley, following the conclusion of IPL 2025.
Sharma’s recent performances in Test cricket have been underwhelming, particularly since the home series against Bangladesh last year. His struggles continued in a subsequent series against New Zealand and on a difficult tour of Australia. During these eight Test matches, he managed to surpass 50 just once and ended with an average of 10.93. Under his leadership, India won their encounters with Bangladesh but faced a 3-0 sweep by New Zealand and lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1 in Australia.
Sharma expressed his thoughts on social media: “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. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format.” This decision follows his earlier choice to step back from T20Is after captaining India to victory in the T20 World Cup last year.
Jasprit Bumrah, India’s vice-captain, could be next in line for Test captaincy, having stepped in for Sharma during the recent series in Australia when Sharma was unavailable for the first and last Tests. Sharma had returned to India for the birth of his child and later opted out of the final Test in Sydney, hinting at the need for a break due to his form slump rather than a decision on retirement.
Rohit shared with Star Sports, “I sat out of this match because runs are not coming off my bat. There is no guarantee runs won’t come five or two months down the line. I have seen a lot in cricket that life changes every second, every minute, every day. I have confidence in me that things can change, but at the same time, I have to be realistic as well.”
The cricket world awaits to see who will now take on the mantle of leading the Indian Test side, with the series against England approaching rapidly. Further updates and developments will certainly be closely watched in the coming weeks.
