India’s captain Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from Test cricket, leaving many fans feeling sad. He shared the news on Instagram after playing 67 Tests and scoring 4,301 runs. This decision has led to discussions about who will take over as captain for the Indian Test team. Along with Rohit, Virat Kohli has also decided to retire from Test cricket right before the upcoming series against England.
Rohit had some tough matches in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and the Tests against New Zealand at home. Still, his role as an opener in the Test team has been really important, and he has had several match-winning performances over the years. Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali praised Rohit, calling him a “natural player,” but he also mentioned that Rohit should have focused more on his fitness like Kohli.
“Rohit was a more natural player; he was amazing to watch. Everything looks smoother when he plays. He was a top player and at one point, he might have been one of the most talented players in the world,” Moeen said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast. “He may not have worked as hard on fitness as Virat, but he was still really effective.”
Rohit wraps up his Test career with impressive stats: 67 matches played, 4,301 runs, including 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries. Former India coach Ravi Shastri also shared his thoughts on the time he encouraged Rohit to open the batting, which turned out to be a game-changing decision.
“Rohit didn’t like batting at four or five; he got bored. I started to think about why he was so good in one-day cricket. He enjoys being out there early,” Shastri explained in the ICC Review. “If he could go out there and take on the quick bowlers, then Test cricket could work out really well for him,” he added.
