The former Indian skipper announced Test retirement a few months after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Former India Test skipper Rohit Sharma took the cricketing world by shock after he announced his retirement from the longest format in May 2025. The decision came at a point when the management was starting to plan for India tour to England. However, because of Rohit hanging his boots, India appointed Shubman Gill as the new skipper in Tests.
Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was credited by many stakeholders of the game, including the players. His style of treating youngsters and terrific man-management skills were one of the reasons for his brief success in the Test format. However, India’s series whitewash against the New Zealand last year is where things started to look grim.
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A few months after calling time on his extensive Test career, the former red-ball skipper has opened up about the mental challenges of playing the longest format. He spoke about the longevity aspect of the game, and also expressed that players are brought up with that mindset. So by the time they reach the international level, they are used to the longevity that is required.
“It’s something that you prepare for, because the game demands longevity. Mentally, it is very challenging and it is draining as well. But all cricketers have been brought up playing First-Class cricket. It starts at a very young age for us”, Rohit spoke at an event in Mumbai.
Additionally, India’s ODI skipper also spoke about the importance of concentration in Test matches. The very essence of Test cricket is to stay competitive for a period of five days. And the best way to achieve that is to remain at the top of your concentration levels. To perform at the highest level, a calm mind is of utmost importance, especially in Test cricket.
The five-day format is such that it will always throw challenges in different forms. Hence, a player has to be at the top of his game, both physically and mentally in order to sustain the pressure and thrive over it. Test cricket has multiple facets to its nature, and one of the most important virtues for a player to master remains patience. Rohit Sharma also opened up about the importance being fresh all the time for a player.
“It takes a lot when you’re playing the longest format and concentration is something that is the key. When you are expecting to put in high-level performance, it starts with being mentally fresh all the time”, said Rohit Sharma.
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The 38-year-old is regarded as one of the finest pullers of the cricket ball. Over the course of his career, he has manufactured some fantastic pull shots. Additionally, some of them have gone multiple rows behind the boundary rope. The former India Test skipper makes the right use of his technique to execute the shot to perfection.
One thing which he does really well is the transfer of weight on the backfoot. Rohit Sharma is an extremely quick reader of the length of the delivery and can get into positions really fast. He is one of the players who can hit the pull effortlessly off the front foot. This shows his rotational strength, which is extremely crucial for a player to execute the pull shot.
In his Test career, Rohit has played 67 matches, having scored 4301 runs at an average of 40.57. Moreover, he has scored 12 hundreds and 18 fifties in the format and also possesses a highest score of a 212. With regards to his captaincy, Rohit had a considerable impact in making the youngsters feel at home and getting out the best performance from them.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) player is set to feature in the upcoming ODI series against Australia, which will be his first competitive assignment since IPL 2025. India will play three ODIs against Australia Down Under, starting October 19. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are set to feature in the series.
