Cricket: India Captain Rohit Sharma Calls Time On International Test Career
Sharma Retires From Test Cricket Ahead of England Series
Back in 2013, a 26-year-old Rohit Sharma managed to break into the Indian Test squad in a series against the West Indies, and his first match almost immediately suggested that we were witnessing the start of greatness.
In front of a packed Eden Gardens, Sharma produced a stunning knock on debut of 177 runs, and since then, he has gone on to feature in 67 Tests, amassing 4,301 runs, including 12 centuries at an average of 40.57. His best was 212 off just 255 balls against South Africa in 2019.
His impressive performances at the top of the order earned him captaincy in 2022, and he won 12 of the 24 matches he led the team in, which is the second-best win percentage of any Indian Test skipper behind Virat Kohli.
Additionally, the Mumbai Indians batter led the Men in Blue to the World Test Championship in 2023 against Australia, but was beaten in the final. He has now called time on his career in the longest format ahead of the England Test, which is the start of the new World Test Championship cycle for India.
Sharma announced his retirement on social media last week, posting on Instagram:
"Hello everyone, I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. It has been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all of the love and support over the years."
The 38-year-old had retired from T20 internationals after leading India to the T20 World Cup title last year, but he will still continue to captain the team in ODIs, with their next assignment coming against Bangladesh in August, and our cricket predictions will be available ahead of the series commencing.
Why Did Sharma Decide To Retire From Test Cricket?
Following Sharma’s announcement to retire from Test cricket, there was widespread speculation over the reason behind his decision. While the now-former Test captain has not revealed a specific reason for his choice, it likely comes down to his performances in recent times.
Across his last six Tests, Sharma oversaw the team during a 3-0 thrashing by New Zealand, which was their first Test series loss at home in over a decade, before suffering a 3-1 series defeat to Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
During that period, Sharma averaged just 15.16 against the Black Caps and 6.20 against the Baggy Greens before being dropped for the final Test of the series Down Under. He had only scored one half-century in his last 12 matches in the longest format.
Another potential contributing factor to his decision is that reports in India last week emerged suggesting that the team’s selection committee were set to appoint a new Test captain for the upcoming series against England due to Sharma's recent dip in form.
It remains to be seen who will be handed captaincy of the Indian Test team for the foreseeable future. Jasprit Bumrah led the team in Sharma’s absence in Australia, but there are rumours that Shubman Gill is the current frontrunner for the role.
