Ritika Sajdeh left 'teary-eyed, heartbroken' after Rohit Sharma's retirement; BCCI confirms 'he will remain ODI captain'
The announcement came amid speculations over Rohit Sharma's selection in the Indian team for the upcoming five-match Test series in England
Rohit Sharma, on Wednesday, made a shocking announcement of his retirement from Test cricket "with immediate effect," thus putting an end to the long-standing speculation of his future in the format and potential selection for the upcoming tour of England. The announcement left his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, emotional.
The 38-year-old, who had the most prolific second half of his Test career, bid adieu to the traditional format after scoring 4301 runs in 67 matches with 12 hundreds and 18 half centuries at an average of 40.57. The announcement came amid speculations over his selection in the Indian team for the upcoming five-match Test series in England, let alone his role as a captain, especially following a horrid red-ball run since September last year. The run included just 31 runs in three matches during the Australia tour, which eventually led to Rohit dropping himself from the playing XI for the final game in the series in Sydney.
"Hello everyone, I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. It's been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format," he posted on Instagram with a picture of his Test cap, confirming his retirement.
Ritika shared the same story on her Instagram profile later, along with emoticons of a broken heart, a salute and teary eyes.
BCCI reacts to Rohit Sharma's retirement
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) thanked Rohit after his big announcement, before confirming that he will continue to lead India in ODI cricket.
"Thank you, Captain! End of an era in whites! @ImRo45 bids adieu to Test cricket. He will continue to lead India in ODIs. We are proud of you, Hitman," the post read.
India will have a new Test captain for the five-Test series in England with possible candidates being Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
Earlier, reports had hinted that BCCI is keen on naming Shubman Gill as the next leader in Test cricket. He is already the vice-captain in both the white-ball formats.
