Rohit Sharma announces retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect, India to have new captain in England
Rohit Sharma retires from Test cricket: While announcing the decision before the England tour, Rohit said he will continue to represent India in the ODI format.
India captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect on May 7 (Wednesday), minutes after reports of him being sacked as Test captain went viral.
The 38-year-old was India's most prolific Test batter in the second half of his career, scoring 4301 runs in 67 Tests with 12 hundreds and 18 half centuries at an average of 40.57.
Rohit captained India to the World Test Championship final against Australia and save the last couple of indifferent series against New Zealand at home and the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia.
“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. It's been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support for all these years. I will continue to represent India in ODIs,” Rohit said in a statement released on his Instagram handle.
The Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI senior selection committee had already decided to sack Rohit Sharma as India's Test captain for the upcoming England tour, reported The Indian Express. The selectors were reportedly not ready to keep him as captain based on his recent red-ball form. India lost five out of their last six Tests in Rohit's captaincy against New Zealand at home and against Australia, away. Rohit, who went through a nightmarish form in Test cricket, even dropped himself from the XI for the last Test in Sydney.
According to the report, the selectors informed the BCCI and the senior board officials decided to back the call. The selectors held a series of meetings, the latest one being in Mumbai, to chalk out a roadmap for the Test side. This development comes after Rohit himself expressed his desire to lead India in England in a podcast with former Australia captain Michael Clarke.
Agarkar and his team, who have been by far the most influential selection committee Team India has had in recent years, want to groom a leader for the future.
“The selectors’ thought process is clear. They want a new leader for the England tour and Rohit doesn’t fit in as a captain, especially considering his red-ball form. They want to groom a young leader for the next Test cycle and the selection committee has informed the BCCI that Rohit won’t lead the team,” a source told The Indian Express.
Why Rohit Sharma's retirement is not a surprise
It's understandable why the selectors might be cautious about appointing Rohit as Test captain, given his recent red-ball form. His struggles in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, averaging a mere 6.20 across five innings, were preceded by a similarly lean patch against New Zealand at home, where he averaged just 15.16 in three Tests.
The complexities of having a captain under pressure to perform with the bat are also a factor. While a specialist batsman can be dropped if his contributions don't meet expectations, the situation becomes more delicate when it involves the captain. Sources suggest this dynamic had a negative impact during the Australia tour.
Rohit's absence for the first Test in Perth due to the birth of his child saw Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul open. Upon his return, his batting order positions were inconsistent – he demoted himself initially, then opened in Melbourne, before surprisingly dropping himself for the Sydney Test.
Furthermore, the team's recent performances under different captains add to the selectors' considerations. India, despite a win in the first Test under Bumrah's captaincy, ultimately lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The preceding home series against New Zealand also resulted in a 0-3 defeat under Rohit's leadership.
Who will be India's next Test captain now that Rohit Sharma has retired?
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is the obvious choice as he is the vice-captain, but his fitness and workload management can become a problem. India would want a captain who is available for all matches. While Bumrah has shown exceptional leadership skills in Australia, appointing him as the full-time skipper might not be the best option going ahead.
The other options India have are Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. These cricketers are more or less guaranteed a spot in India's Test XI. Among these three, only Rahul has prior experience of leading India in a Test match.
