Was Rohit Sharma Forced To Retire From Tests? Former India Team Manager Reveals
Indian men's team's former manager has confirmed Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket by choice, not BCCI pressure.
Jaydev Shah, the Indian men's team's manager during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has confirmed that Rohit Sharma decided to retire from Test cricket on his behest. It assuages some speculation over one of the most important developments in the team's recent history because some still believe he was nudged or even pressured to it by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s bosses.
Shah did say that Rohit was 'dropped' from the fifth Test in Sydney — at the time, Rohit said that he had taken a step back himself due to his form — and that the BCCI wanted to build for the future, while believing that Rohit perhaps couldn't hold his own in Tests for the next two years. However, he added, that Rohit also wanted the team to build with new stars for the next World Test Championship cycle.
'He had a baby, he came back and he couldn't make runs," Shah said in a podcast named Voices of Impact with Arjun Mirani. 'Okay, he was out of form. He was dropped from the last Test, but then he won the Champions Trophy. I think he thought it was time for him to play white ball more than red ball and give another cricketer a chance. I think the board was looking at things like, we have to prepare our team for the next championship. That's a two-year cycle so it's better if new players get set and get there," he added.
Rohit didn't announce retirement immediately after the Test series against Australia, only doing that in May, just weeks before India's team selection for the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England.
'And it didn't seem like Rohit could take it for two more years. He also had his injury, he didn't play a couple of IPL matches because of that either. I think that's what he thought, and left for the team to grow and build nicely in the new cycle. Such big decisions are taken by big people like Rohit themselves," Shah added.
India appointed Shubman Gill as captain for England and the team is currently trailing 2-1 in the five-Test series with the final match ongoing at the Oval, London.
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