3 reasons why Rohit Sharma should retire from test cricket after BGT 2024-25

Rohit Sharma made his test debut in 2013.

India captain Rohit Sharma is one of the most talented batsmen to have played the game. He made his ODI and T20I debut in 2007 but had to wait until 2013 to make his test debut due to other batsmen occupying the spots and also due to some unfortunate injuries he suffered in the early part of his career.

Batting in the middle-order, he started his test career with a bang, slamming two centuries in his first two tests against West Indies in what was Sachin Tendulkar’s last career test series. However, he couldn’t really put up big scores consistently and was dropped in 2018.

He was recalled in 2019 to the test XI and given the opening spot after his success as an opener in white-ball cricket. He grabbed it with both hands, hitting three centuries in four innings. In 2021, Rohit notched up his maiden test ton in England.

Until the end of the England series earlier in 2024, Sharma had been putting up consistent performances in test cricket. However, his new mantra of “intent” as an opener is not quite working out and he’s gotten off the rails.

There is now a strong case being made against his position in the playing XI. If he can’t be pushed out of the team, Sharma might be coerced into giving up test cricket by the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. It won’t be the worst thing for his career either; in fact, it could boost other parts of his career, as we discuss below.

3 reasons why Rohit Sharma should retire from test cricket after BGT 2024-25:

Poor form

The chief reason why even many legends of the game had to bid adieu to the sport unwillingly is the drastic drop in their form and the lack of positive impact on the scoreboard.

Rohit has got into such a rut in test cricket recently: in his last 11 test innings, Rohit Sharma averages merely 12.36 and has scored more than 25 runs only once.

During this period, he has been dismissed trying to hit big shots, dismissed by the swing movement of Tim Southee, seam movement of Scott Boland and Matt Henry, and looked largely clueless against spinners like Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

His form and returns simply don’t justify his selection in the side as a batsman.

Age and injuries

Rohit Sharma is 37 years and over 200 days old. His peak is past him. No amount of hunger or talent or “selfless” social media PR can reverse or defy age. Athletes have and should come to terms with it and bow out when the time is apt, that is before the question of “when” pops up in the minds of the people.

At Rohit’s age, the eyes are no more than what is used to be even a couple of years ago; the hand-eye coordination is weaker; the reflexes are slower than before. All of this also perhaps would have forced him to play this attacking style of batting – one which inevitably delivers inconsistent results on bowling-friendly surfaces – in order to maximize his time in the middle before a ball with his name on it comes.

Injuries have always been a big hindrance in Rohit’s career, more so in recent years. Since 2020, India have played 46 test matches, out of which Rohit has missed 13.

Focus on his ODI career

Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is after leading India to the T20 World Cup 2024 title. He has often, though, said that the ODI World Cup remains the pinnacle of cricket. He missed out on selection in the 2011 World Cup squad. He was part of the next three World Cups, but India faltered in the final stages.

The next ODI World Cup is in 2027 by the time Rohit will be 40. If he has to feature in that tournament, he needs to take care of his already injury-prone body. Something that he could do with more rest if he quits test cricket, a format he’s struggling significantly in right now.

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