Former England cricketer Michael Atherton mentioned that Rohit Sharma seemed to sense he might be dropped from the Indian Test team, which is why he decided to retire before any official word was out. This came just over a month before the five-Test series against England. There was a lot of pressure on Rohit as captain and batsman after India’s tough run in Test matches.
Atherton noted that there were rumors suggesting Rohit’s place on the team was uncertain, and he chose to retire knowing he might not be picked for the England series. “Was that retirement completely his own decision, or did he sense something was coming? There was a report just a day before he announced his retirement that the selectors were looking to move on,” Atherton said on Sky Sports.
He added, “We can only speculate, but the news wasn’t shocking. Losing games and not scoring runs is a tough spot for any captain, and India had lost five out of their last six matches under him.” Now, the Indian team is on the lookout for a new Test skipper after Rohit’s unexpected retirement.
Rohit’s career spanned over a decade, and it took him a while to become a regular player in Test cricket. Atherton pointed out that while he’ll be remembered as one of the greatest ODI openers, his Test career was a bit odd. “He had to wait a long time to break in and then had a career of two halves, finishing with an average just over 40 and 12 centuries. It’s a solid record, but not a standout one,” he said. Rohit scored 4,301 runs in 67 Tests, averaging 40.58, with 18 half-centuries and 12 centuries.
