India captain Rohit Sharma retires from test cricket ahead of England tour
FILE - Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File)
MUMBAI, India (AP) — India captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from test cricket Wednesday ahead of the squad's upcoming tour of England.
The 38-year-old Sharma added that he will continue representing India in one-day internationals.
Advertisement
'It's been an absolute honor to represent my country in whites," he wrote on Instagram. 'Thank you for all the love and support over the years.'
Sharma struggled during the 2024-25 season, averaging just 10.93 runs in 11 innings over eight tests.
Overall, he scored 4,301 runs in 67 tests, an average of 40.57, with 12 centuries for the national team.
Sharma replaced Virat Kohli as captain in March 2022 and guided India to 12 wins, nine losses and three draws, while scoring 1,254 runs during that time.
It was a captaincy that ended with back-to-back series losses — a record 3-0 home defeat to New Zealand and a 4-1 loss to Australia that knocked India out of the 2025 World Test Championship.
Advertisement
'Thank you, Captain … End of an era in whites! ... We are proud of you, Hitman,' India cricket said in a statement.
Most recently, Sharma captained India to victories at the 2025 ODI Champions Trophy and the 2024 T20 World Cup, after which he announced his retirement from that format.
India opens its five-test tour of England on June 20.
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
PHOTO COLLECTION: Best of French Open Tennis Semifinals
France's Lois Boisson reacts as she plays against Coco Gauff of the U.S. during their semifinal match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
French Open: No. 2 Coco Gauff faces No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the women's final
PARIS (AP) — The biggest difference Coco Gauff sees between the player who lost her first Grand Slam final at the 2022 French Open at age 18, and the one who will play for the trophy again on Saturday at 21, this time against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, is the way she views the importance of the occasion. Three years ago at Roland-Garros , Gauff was making her debut on that sort of stage and with that sort of prize at stake. It felt like the outcome meant absolutely everything, a burden that was a lot at the time and made her nervous. Now, the No. 2-ranked Gauff says, she understands 'how miniscule' the result Saturday is in the scheme of things. 'Everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final,' the American said after beating 361st-ranked French wild-card entry Loïs Boisson 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals Thursday. 'I'm sure there are hundreds of players that would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that (makes) me realize how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position,' Gauff said. 'At first, I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, and, you know, the sun still rose the next day. ... Regardless of the result, the sun will still rise.' Here's another key difference: The Gauff of today is a Grand Slam champion. She won the 2023 U.S. Open ; her opponent in that final just so happened to be Sabalenka. 'I just remember kind of feeling,' Gauff said, 'like I was holding my breath to the match point.' Their head-to-head series is tied 5-5 entering the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in a French Open women's final since Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova in 2023. Sabalenka beat Gauff in their most recent meeting, which came at the Madrid Open in May on the type of red clay used at Roland-Garros. So Gauff is well aware of Sabalenka's many talents, which were on full display during a 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 semifinal victory over three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek . 'She can come up with some big shots and big winners pretty much at all areas of the court,' Gauff said about the 27-year-old from Belarus. 'She's a fighter, as well. She's going to stay in the match regardless of the scoreline.' After getting pushed to a third set by Swiatek, who had won 26 matches in a row at the French Open, Sabalenka was pretty much perfect down the stretch. Even Sabalenka called the lopsided nature of that last set 'shocking for me.' She didn't make a single unforced error; Swiatek had 12. 'The pace was from her (was) super fast,' Swiatek said. 'It was just hard to get into any rally.' Sabalenka took over the top ranking from Swiatek last October and has remained there. Sabalenka is 40-6 this season with three titles and, while her three major championships all came on hard courts — at the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens and the 2024 U.S. Open — the work she's put in to improve on clay is clearly paying off. 'I can go flat. I can (play) with the spin. I can go back and play in defense,' Sabalenka said. 'That's what works the best on the clay court for me.' The truth is, regardless of the surface, Sabalenka still appears to be most comfortable when she hits the ball as hard as possible. Her high-risk style offers a contrast to Gauff, who has been making an effort to be more aggressive with her forehand but usually is at her best when she is making opponents hit shot after shot because she can get to everything with her speed, instincts and defense. 'She's going to come out swinging,' Gauff said. 'I just have to expect that and do my best to kind of counter that.' ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: . More AP tennis:
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Rugby league legend Mal Meninga set to be inaugural coach of NRL expansion club Perth
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The National Rugby League's newest team will have one of its oldest coaches when it begins play in 2027. Australia head coach and ex-Kangaroos and Queensland Origin star Mal Meninga was unveiled Friday as the Perth Bears ' inaugural head coach. The 64-year-old Meninga signed a three-year contract with the new franchise, meaning he could be 69 when his contract expires in 2030. NRL coaching great Wayne Bennett — now in charge at the South Sydney Rabitohs — is the oldest coach at the sport's elite level at 75. Craig Bellamy, who is 65, confirmed this week that he will continue coaching the Melbourne Storm into his 24th consecutive year next season. Meninga is one of the most decorated players and coaches in rugby league history, having coached Canberra (1997-2001) and Queensland (2006-2015) after playing 46 test and World Cup matches for Australia's Kangaroos, 32 State of Origin matches for Queensland and captaining the Raiders to three national titles. Before becoming Kangaroos coach in 2016, Meninga led the Queensland Maroons to their most successful period in Origin history, winning nine of his 10 series in charge. Meninga will relinquish his Australia national team coaching duties later this year in order to have 18 months to begin putting together the Bears' initial lineup of players. 'This is bigger than me,' Meninga said Friday. 'This new pioneering venture over to WA (Western Australia) and the opportunity to be involved in the growth of the game, to grow a club — the Perth Bears — is too good to refuse. I feel very honored, very nervous, and I think it's a huge responsibility.' The sport's premier competition originated in Sydney but has expanded to include a team in New Zealand, a team in the Australian capital, Canberra, a team in the Victoria state capital, Melbourne, and four teams in Queensland state. Perth Bears will enter the NRL from Australia's west coast before a team from rugby league-mad neighboring Pacific country Papua New Guinea, which is due to join in 2028 and make it a 19-team competition. The league's ambition is a 20-team format. ___ AP sports:
