Photo Credit: Instagram Photo of @rohitsharma45
India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed his retirement from T20I cricket, stating there is no chance of his return to the format. He also commented on the trend of players reversing their retirement decisions, emphasizing that he will not do the same in his career.
Rohit retired from T20Is after India won the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA in July. Both Rohit and Virat Kohli ended their T20I careers following India’s victory over South Africa in the final in Barbados on June 29. Rohit continues to play and captain in both ODI and Test formats.
“Retirement has become a joke these days in world cricket, people announce retirement but then return to play just like that. Yes, it hasn’t happened in India a lot. However, I have been observing players from other countries. They announce retirement but then return and play cricket. You don’t get to understand whether someone has retired or not,” Rohit Sharma said.
“I am very clear. That was it. It was the perfect time for me to say goodbye to the format. I started playing this format for India, I made my debut in ODIs, but straightaway went on to play T20 World Cup in 2007. We won that. I have now won another World Cup,” he added.
Earlier this year, Rohit Sharma mentioned he wasn’t considering retirement from T20Is, but India’s World Cup victory influenced his decision to step away from the format.
Rohit concluded his T20I career with two World Cup titles—one under MS Dhoni in 2007 and another as captain in 2024. Over 17 years, Rohit played 159 T20Is, scoring 4,231 runs, including five centuries and 32 half-centuries. At 37, he led India fearlessly in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, inspiring the team to adopt an aggressive playing style.
Rohit is expected to continue playing in the Indian Premier League, though it remains uncertain if he will stay with Mumbai Indians or move to a new franchise.
He will lead India in the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh starting September 19, kicking off a busy Test season that includes 10 matches, five of which are against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit will also target the Champions Trophy, set for February-March 2025, after narrowly missing out on the ODI World Cup in 2023.
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