Did BCCI force Rohit Sharma to retire from test cricket? BCCI Vice-president reveals

Rohit Sharma pulled down the curtains on his test cricket career on May 7.

Indian batting legend Rohit Sharma, on Wednesday, May 7, announced his retirement from test cricket. He announced the decision with a post on his social media account Instagram. The right-handed batsman also notified that he will continue to play ODI cricket for India. Notably, Sharma had retired from T20I cricket after India won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024.

Following Sharma’s retirement from the longest format of the game, there have been a few rumours of him being sacked as test skipper by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Notably, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar was sacked recently.

The decision was made after the Indian Cricket Team’s defeat against Australia in Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in January this year. Sharma was the skipper of India in the series. The series defeat also ended Team India’s chances of making it to ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final.

Rohit Sharma made retirement decision on his own: BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla

During an interview with PTI, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla clarified that the BCCI did not force Sharma to retire from tests. Instead, he reckoned that Sharma made his decision on his own and the board does not put pressure on any player over retirement calls.

“As far as Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket is concerned, he has made his own decision. We welcome his decision. It is our policy that the players who take the decision of retirement—we do not put any pressure on them, nor do we suggest anything, nor do we say anything,” he said.

The BCCI vice-president also praised Sharma for his contribution to test cricket over the years. He also added that the team will benefit from his talent in the ODIs. Notably, Sharma will continue to represent Indian Cricket Team in ODIs as the captain.

“He has made a big contribution to Test cricket. The more we praise him, the less it is. He is a great batsman. The good thing is that he has not yet decided to retire from cricket. So we will definitely take advantage of his experience and talent. And we wish him luck for his future,” the 65-year-old added.

Sharma played 67 tests for India from November 2013 to December 2014. The 38-year-old mustered 4301 runs across 166 innings, including 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries. He led the side in the tests from February 2022 until his retirement. BCCI is yet to name the new test skipper. The Indian team will travel to England in June 2025 for a five-match test series.

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