India great Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from Test cricket after all the speculation surrounding his future in the red-ball format in recent times.
The Mumbaikar revealed his decision through a statement on his Instagram account.
'Hello everyone, I would just like to share that I'm retiring from Test cricket. It's been an absolute honour to represent the country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format.'
Although, Rohit has been an incredible batter in the ODI format, his Test career was prolific too.
The 38-year-old scored 4301 runs in 67 Tests with 12 centuries and 18 fifties at an average of 40.57.
Rohit's struggle with Tests as a captain began with the humbling 3-0 whitewash at home to New Zealand last year followed by the away Test series loss to Australia late last year.
The India ODI skipper's retirement announcement was preceded by certain reports that he is no longer part of the selectors' plans for the Indian Test team.
Rohit, who has led India to the ICC T20 World Cup victory in 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy win this year, was struggling with his red-ball form and was completely out of sorts in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss to Australia in December-January of 2024-25.
The Mumbaikar averaged 6.20 in the series signalling his waning touch in the longest format of the sport.
The report stated the selectors decided to move ahead not because of Rohit's age or to bring in the transition period into effect but purely on the basis of Rohit's performances and form in the red-ball format.
According to the report, the decision has also been driven by the selectors' thought process of wanting to groom a new and young player for the Test captaincy role.
The report had also stated the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to back the selectors' decision.
With Rohit's decision, India will be moving on to a new Test captain before the England tour and perhaps a new approach and philosophy to play the game.
How successful that will be from the team's perspective is something only time will tell but curtains have fallen on one of the greatest pullers ever in cricket history and his exploits in Test cricket.
