In a heartfelt post on May 7, 2025, Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, announced his retirement from Test cricket, marking the end of an era for one of the most versatile and beloved players in Indian cricket history. After more than a decade of memorable performances, the 38-year-old declared that it was time for him to step away from the longest format. His retirement news sent ripples across the cricket world, not just because of the sheer weight of his contribution to Indian cricket, but also due to the timing, just weeks ahead of India’s high-profile Test series against England.
Yet, while the cricketing world may have bid adieu to him in whites, Rohit’s legacy in the format will forever be etched in golden letters, a tale of a batsman whose journey had as many ups and downs as his illustrious career.
Rohit Sharma’s Test debut came in November 2013 against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. He made an immediate impact by scoring 177 runs, the second-highest score on debut by an Indian, following Shikhar Dhawan’s 187. He followed this with an unbeaten 111 in the next Test at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, during Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell match, becoming one of the few players to score centuries in their first two Test matches.
Despite a stellar start, Rohit’s Test career faced inconsistencies. Between 2014 and 2019, he struggled to cement his place in the Test side, often being shuffled in the middle order and facing challenges in overseas conditions. His Test appearances were sporadic, and he couldn’t replicate his initial success during this period.
Ahead of the home Test series against South Africa in October 2019, India’s selectors, then-coach Ravi Shastri, and captain Virat Kohli made a move that would redefine Rohit Sharma’s red-ball legacy. He was asked to open the innings, despite never having done so in first-class cricket.
Many saw it as a desperate gamble. Rohit saw it differently. “I knew this was my last chance in Test cricket. I had to make it count,” he later told The Times of India. And count he did. Rohit responded with twin centuries, 176 and 127, in Visakhapatnam. That series not only cemented his spot as a red-ball opener but became the launchpad for his rise as a future Test captain.
Rohit Sharma officially became India’s full-time Test captain in early 2022, after Virat Kohli abruptly stepped down following the 2-1 series loss to South Africa. Rohit at his first press conference as Test captain:
“It’s a huge honour. I’ve seen how Virat led this team with passion. I just want to carry that forward and bring in my own perspective.”
Rohit’s tenure began positively on home soil. He led India to a series whitewash over Sri Lanka in 2022, and later marshaled India through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2023, where India won 2-1 and booked a spot in the World Test Championship Final. His own century in Nagpur (120) was a captain’s statement, gritty, elegant, and match-defining. In England (WTC Final 2023), India fell short against Australia at The Oval. Questions were raised about team selection and India’s inability to rise on the big day. In South Africa (2023-24), India suffered a 1-1 draw, with a heavy loss at Centurion. The cracks in transition were beginning to show: inconsistency in the middle order, aging pace battery, and lack of settled openers alongside Rohit.
In the final stretch of his distinguished Test career, Rohit Sharma’s bat grew quieter, and with it, so did the aura of inevitability that once surrounded him at the top of the order. As captain in Test cricket, he amassed 1,333 runs at an average of 34.18, including three centuries, figures that reflect his solid, if not spectacular, contributions with the bat during his leadership tenure. After a flourishing second wind as an opener, the last year saw Rohit battling both form and fortune. In his final 19 Test innings, he managed just one century, and his average plummeted to a worrying 10.93; a stark contrast to the free-flowing authority he once commanded against both pace and spin.
The murmurs began to grow louder, questions about fitness, intent, leadership, and his long-term place in the team. India’s overseas losses and a struggling middle-order only sharpened the spotlight on Rohit, especially in a team that was visibly transitioning. And while he never showed outward signs of pressure, the weight was beginning to tell.
“Mujhe nahi lagta main kahin jaa raha hoon bhai. Ye kuch log mic leke, pen leke, kuch bhi bolte hain,” Rohit had said with a smile in his now-iconic interview with Jatin Sapru during the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. At the time, it was a defiant clapback to rumours about his exit, delivered with classic Rohit wit. But months later, the subtext carried more weight; he wasn’t leaving then, but he knew the end would come on his own terms.
In a moment rich with symbolism, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket at 19:29 IST, eerily echoing MS Dhoni’s 2020 international retirement, also timed at 19:29. At 38, Rohit took to Instagram to confirm his decision, expressing gratitude to fans, teammates, and the BCCI for their unwavering support throughout his journey.
Just like Dhoni, who quietly stepped away from Test cricket in 2014 amid a generational shift, Rohit chose a silent, strategic exit, days before a major series against England. It was a decision made on his own terms, marking the end of an era with dignity and foresight.
Rohit ends his career with scoring 4,191 runs, in 66 matches, at an average of 42.74, a commendable record for a player who spent much of his early career shuttling through the middle order before finding his true calling as an opener. His tally included 12 centuries and 16 fifties, with a career-best score of 212 against South Africa in Ranchi in 2019.
Shubman Gill, at 25, is considered a frontrunner for the captaincy, bringing youthful energy and leadership experience from the IPL and domestic cricket. As the team prepares for the upcoming series against England, this transition offers an opportunity to build a squad for the future.
