Social media is abuzz with rumours about Rohit Sharma’s retirement. While some are speculating that a call to quit Test format is inevitable considering he is enduring such a torrid run of form, some are hopeful that it won’t come after the IND vs AUS Melbourne Test. As for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it is refusing to entertain such an idea when the series is still to be won. Whether the Border Gavaskar Trophy would be his last could very well be determined by his score in the 2nd innings of the 4th Test. Any call on his future will be made after the series.
“There has been no discussion of retirement with Rohit. All are baseless rumours and we don’t comment on rumours. It’s not the first time that we have heard such rumours. He is going through a tough time but whether he should retire is a call he has to take. We haven’t heard anything about it from Rohit. We are in the midst of a Test match and the focus remains on winning it,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
Rohit Sharma: Retirement imminent?
3, 10, 6, 3, 11, 18, 8, 0, 52 and 2: Rohit Sharma’s scores in his last 10 Test innings do not justify his capabilities. But the hard truth is that Rohit Sharma is out of form and is currently a liability for the team. In the first innings of the Melbourne Test, Rohit spent 10 minutes on the crease, scoring three runs off five deliveries. He returned to the pavilion in less time than it could take to cook Maggi. That was after he returned to his favourite opening slot, despite promising not to disturb the KL Rahul-Yashasvi Jaiswal combination.
“When you play well against Australia, you are respected a lot. KL Rahul, who has been India’s best batter in this series, has scored runs at the top, and put on a record stand as well. India moved him out of his preferred position just so that Rohit Sharma could get an opportunity to return to form. This is the wrong way of thinking. Rohit had said in the press conference that he does not wish to disturb the positions of Jaiswal and Rahul. But when the match began, he certainly disturbed it,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on Star Sports during his commentary stint.
Rohit Sharma in 2024
| Inns | Runs | Avg | Mins | BF | HS | 50 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 610 | 25.41 | 1417 | 942 | 131 | 2 | 2 |
That Rohit Sharma has spent just 298 minutes on the crease, facing just 203 deliveries in the Border Gavaskar Trophy so far is a serious concern. He has scored 3, 6, 10, and 3 in this series. Since he is the captain of the team, he can’t be dropped even though Jasprit Bumrah did a great job in his absence.
However, the fact remains that the India Cricket Team is currently a hostage of the Rohit Sharma crisis. He is a captain, and can’t be dropped and with him, the team can’t get the batting combination right and could eventually lose the Test.
Hence, the idea that IND vs AUS Melbourne Test could be his last Test is not far-fetched. Rohit vacating the spot would allow India to have a stable combination at the top and rejig the middle order.
- KL Rahul could open with Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Shubman Gill could return to No 3 slot
- If Gill is dropped, India can play either Dhruv Jurel or Sarfaraz Khan in the middle-order
- Rishabh Pant could be an unlikely No 3
However, with Rohit Sharma dragging his Test career, all these solutions are out of the equation.
The Transition Plan
There is a transition plan already in place. Ravichandran Ashwin read the room and quit on his own after the Brisbane Test. If India fail to win the Border Gavaskar Trophy, many heads will fall including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. That was part of the transition plan.
When India go to England in June for the five-match Test series in a new World Test Championship cycle, the expectation is to have a new Test captain, moving away from the veterans of the game. The plan remains in place. But it may not be enforced immediately after the Melbourne Test. Instead, BCCI could let it play out, and have a permanent secretary before taking the call.
If Rohit Sharma does announce his retirement, it would only be his personal call.
“Look, there is a transition plan for all teams. It’s not new. Rohit and Virat are not getting any younger. We have to think about the next Test cycle. But nobody will force Rohit to retire. That would be absurd. He has just won us T20 World Cup and we have Champions Trophy coming up. The call for retirement is solely on the players. It is never enforced,” the BCCI official said.
However, if the buzz inside the BCCI is to be believed, there have been discussions over the next Test captain. Chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar was part of such a meeting and so was Jay Shah, who recently quit BCCI for the ICC job. It’s just a matter of time for an official announcement from Rohit. But whether it’s Melbourne or Sydney remains the question.
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