New Delhi: Last week, Rohit Sharma left cricket fans heartbroken as he announced his retirement from Test cricket via an Instagram post. His announcement came days after conversations regarding squad selection for the England tour started brewing.
Though the reason behind Sharma’s retirement is best known to him, some media reports indicated that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee was not keen on giving the captaincy responsibility to the cricketer.
The 38-year-old ended his 12-year Test tenure with 4,301 runs in 67 matches, averaging 40.57. He scored 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries over the years.
His best 212 runs came against South Africa in Ranchi in October 2019. Sharma sits at the 16th spot in the list of India’s highest run-getters in Test cricket.
Nine centuries from Rohit’s bat have come in when he opened the innings for India. It is most by any Indian, followed by five each by Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill.
While he was long celebrated for his elegance and explosiveness in limited-overs cricket, his red-ball journey wasn’t always smooth sailing. That said, he transformed from a hopefully middle-order batter to a prolific Test opener and captain.
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The slow start
Rohit’s Test debut came in 2013 against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, where he scored a sublime 177. This was followed by another century (111) in Mumbai.
Sharma’s presence made cricket fans hopeful of having a middle-order giant. But inconsistency and injuries saw him drift in and out of the Test set-up.
Between 2013 and 2018, Rohit’s red-ball career was stop-start. He struggled overseas, and with India’s already-crowded batting order with Kohli, Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, he was often the first to be dropped after a lean series.
He had a tough 2013 series in South Africa with numerous low scores. Sharma compensated for it in New Zealand in early 2014. His 72-run knock in Auckland was the highest score in India’s first innings, but he was dropped following the series defeat.
During the Sri Lanka series in 2015, he scored 202 runs with two half-centuries, as India won 2-1.
But his performance could not stand out. Five Indian batters scored centuries on that tour. Sharma wasn’t one of them.
The following South Africa tour damaged his reputation further. He scored just 26 runs in four innings.
Later in 2016, the trip to New Zealand, where Sharma scored 238 runs in three Tests, gave some respite to his career.
In the same year, when India played England, a health crisis gave him a massive blow.
A thigh injury ruled him out of the series at a time when he seemed certain to play a part had he been fully fit. India went on to smash England 4-0, and it seemed an opportunity lost for Rohit to seal his place in the side.
He remained out of the Test side for over a year and was called for a home series against Sri Lanka in 2017. And in his first Test back, in the second match of the series, he finally scored his third Test century. He played three innings in those last two matches and scored at least 50 in all three.
But he came tumbling back down to earth in South Africa, early in 2018, when a challenging pace attack proved too much for him once again. He was dropped after two Tests, having scored only 78 runs in four innings.
Rohit returned to the side against Australia at the end of 2018, having missed three Test series, including a five-match series in England.
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Reinvention as an opener
The turning point came in 2019 when then-skipper Virat Kohli and the team management handed Rohit the role of opening the innings.
Critics were skeptical. Test opening, especially outside India, was unforgiving.
But he shut the critics with twin centuries in his first match as opener in Visakhapatnam, including a blistering 176 and a 127. He followed it up with a double century (212) in Ranchi, finishing the series with 529 runs.
And that’s how, after a long struggle, he finally carved a permanent place in the XI.
In the 2021-22 tour of England, he broke the jinx on his overseas performance as well.
His 127 at The Oval was a defining knock — patient, technically sound and timely. Notably, this was his first overseas Test century.
Even in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand (2021) and Australia (2023), Sharma lent stability to the Indian innings.
Though the titles slipped through India’s fingers, the cricketer established himself as a solid Test opener—cautious when needed, ruthless when given space.
Captaincy chapter
Rohit Sharma took over India’s Test captaincy in 2022 after Virat Kohli stepped down.
The baton came with a new responsibility: an ageing core and grooming the next generation, all while upholding the dominance in the post-Kohli era.
Under his leadership, India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2023, winning 2-1 at home.
Rohit also oversaw important team transitions, backing young guns like Shubman Gill, giving faith to players like Axar Patel in home Tests, and smartly rotating the pace battery.
As a skipper, he was strategic, patient and composed. His field placements were sharp, and his bowling changes, especially in spin-friendly conditions, showed a keen tactical brain.
Statistically, Rohit’s Test numbers don’t scream greatness. But one shouldn’t forget that most of his best work came after 2019, and he has maintained an average above 45 since becoming an opener.
With 3,700-plus runs, over 10 centuries, and vital knocks at home and abroad, his red-ball impact has been significant, especially considering how late he flourished in the format.
As a captain, he may not have lifted the WTC trophy, but he brought a sense of stability, especially during a transitional phase.
His calm exterior hid the fire of a cricketer who fought his way back into the most gruelling format of the game—and then led from the front.
Sharma’s Test journey isn’t just about numbers. It’s more about rewriting your story, owning your flaws, and eventually mastering the one format that once seemed out of reach.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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