India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma was reportedly on the verge of announcing his retirement after the fourth Test of the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne.
Sources revealed that Rohit Sharma has made the decision to hang up his boots after a series of disappointing performances with the bat in Test cricket. After batting in the middle order in Adelaide and Brisbane, the opener returned to his opening position for the Boxing Day Test.
Rohit Sharma almost quit before the Sydney Test before 'well-wishers' stopped him.
However, the Indian captain's return to the top was not fruitful as he struggled to make an impact in both the innings, and India suffered a crushing defeat. It forced him to make a decision about his future.
Well, Rohit's frustration was understandable after he amassed just 31 runs in five innings in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, coupled with six consecutive losses as India captain in his last six Tests.
“Rohit made up his mind after the MCG” but some “well-wishers” from abroad forced him to reconsider, leading to him changing his mind at the last minute, a source close to the situation revealed.
“Rohit has made up his mind after the MCG. If well-wishers from abroad had not forced him to change his mind, we could have seen another retirement in Australia,” the Times of India quoted a source close to the development as saying.
All is not well between Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma
However, all was not well behind the scenes. Rohit decided to sit out the final Test in Sydney, where India suffered a six-wicket defeat to lose the Test series 3-1 to Australia. The situation has reportedly not been good with head coach Gautam Gambhir, with tensions rising between the two.
The report further claimed that Rohit's change of heart before the New Year's Test in Sydney did not go down well with Gautam Gambhir. Rohit then skipped the final Test, which infuriated the Indian coach, leading to a cold war between the coach and the captain.
Well, Rohit Sharma's absence from the BGT finale has raised many questions, especially after Gautam Gambhir's statement about his participation. Then, Rohit's unenthusiastic behavior during the team's final training session in Australia fueled speculation about his future.
Rohit Sharma will reunite with Gautam Gambhir in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy amid a growing rift with the coach.
He was not included in the 15-member squad for the Sydney Test but reassured fans he would not be retiring. In an interview with broadcaster Star Sports, Rohit explained that he felt it was not ideal to play when the hits are not coming from his bat, which is why he decided to take a break from the game.
However, what has attracted the most attention is the underlying tension between Rohit and Gambhir. Their relationship was reportedly tense, with disagreements arising over various matters, from team selection to decisions during throws. The coach-captain dynamic has clearly soured, with Rohit and Gambhir often finding themselves on opposite sides in the recent Test series.
For now, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir have no choice but to work together, as they will meet again in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. This tournament could be the last hurrah for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, who have already announced their retirement from T20Is after winning the T20Is. World 2024 T20.
