On Tuesday evening, some of the most important people in Indian cricket gathered at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office. The event was to inaugurate the newly dedicated Sachin Tendulkar Room and Sunil Gavaskar Room. Both cricket legends, Gavaskar and Tendulkar, were there for the occasion. The BCCI president, Roger Binny, secretary Devajit Saikia, and GM Abey Kuruvilla were also present.
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The national selectors, including chairman Ajit Agarkar, were at the event, but Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir were missing. While Rohit’s absence was due to Mumbai Indians playing a match, it was strange that he announced his retirement from Test cricket the following day, surprising everyone, including the BCCI officials and his Mumbai Indians teammates.
Rohit reportedly sent an email to the BCCI’s top officials on Wednesday evening. Around the same time, his social media post about his retirement appeared. It was also noticed that chief selector Ajit Agarkar was on a phone call at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) soon after. While it’s unclear if he was talking to Rohit, the selectors had no idea about Rohit’s decision to retire.
This sudden move has ended the uncertainty about whether Rohit would play in the five-Test series in England in June-July. But it has raised questions about why he made this decision so suddenly. Some reports suggest that the selectors weren’t keen on keeping Rohit as the captain for the England series. Although the selectors discussed the series on Tuesday, it’s not clear if they talked about the captaincy. It is believed that a decision about Rohit would have been made a week before the Test squad selection, expected around the IPL play-offs.
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Earlier reports had mentioned that Rohit would decide his Test future based on his IPL performance. While he played a couple of great innings, his overall performance in the IPL wasn’t impressive. In 11 matches, he scored only 300 runs at an average of 30, which isn’t something he would be proud of.
Whether Rohit’s retirement was his own decision or influenced by someone else is not clear. It’s worth mentioning that not long ago, some members of the Indian team’s support staff, who were close to Rohit, had their contracts not renewed. Rohit later praised one of them openly.
However, Rohit will continue to play in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and will continue to lead the ODI team, as he confirmed in his social media post. He will also work closely with his good friend Abhishek Nayar on his batting and fitness, aiming to play until the 2027 World Cup.
Shubman Gill the Favourite to Replace Rohit as Test Captain
With Rohit’s retirement from Tests, the selectors may choose Shubman Gill to be the new Test captain. Gill has been praised for his leadership of the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. His captaincy skills seem to have caught the selectors’ attention.
Parthiv Patel, Gujarat Titans’ assistant coach, spoke highly of Gill, saying, “He’s captaining the side really well. You can feel his presence in the dressing room, which is important for a leader. He’s been great with the youngsters, sharing his knowledge and spending time with them. On the field, he’s proactive and has good game sense. It’s great to see someone like Shubman not only scoring runs but also leading the team effectively.”
