On Wednesday, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket via a story on his Instagram handle.“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.”Having already retired from T20 Internationals after the World Cup last year, Rohit will now only be seen leading India in the ODI format.The 38-year-old was India’s most prolific Test batter in the second half of his career, scoring 4301 runs in 67 Tests with 12 hundreds and 18 half-centuries at an average of 40.57.India will have a new Test captain for the five-Test series in England starting June 20, with possible candidates being Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant. Bumrah captained the side in a couple of Tests during the tour of Australia.
Rohit endured a particularly difficult run during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he had to drop himself from the playing XI owing to poor form, but he had ruled out retirement at that stage.
Following Rohit Sharma’s announcement of his retirement from Test cricket, his current and former teammates expressed their sadness.Amit Mishra congratulated him on a “legendary Test career” and wished him well for his ODI journey.Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant shared a heartfelt message on Instagram: “Your presence and impact will echo in that dressing room forever. Much love, @rohitsharma45 bhai.”Rohit Sharma’s opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal said: “Rohit bhai, sharing the crease with you in whites was nothing less than a blessing. Thank you for everything.”Mayank Agarwal said: “The walks from the pavilion, the silent understanding between the 22 yards, the shared laughs in the dressing room, and the dominating mindset in the middle. Glad to have shared memories with you @rohitsharma45.”Dhruv Jurel said: “Always my first skipper. Happy retirement, Rohit bhaiya.”Parthiv Patel called it the end of an era. “Called it the ‘end of an era,’ praising his ‘grit, grace, and leadership’ in Test cricket,” Parthiv Patel wrote.
