Sports Desk – Rohit Sharma, one of India’s most elegant batters of the modern era, has announced his retirement from Test cricket. The decision comes after a disappointing run of form and being overlooked for the Test captaincy following India’s forgettable tour of Australia earlier this year. In many ways, the Australian tour became the final chapter in a Test career that never fully lived up to its massive promise.
Australia: The Final Blow, Again
Australia has an uncanny reputation for ending Indian batting legends’ careers. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman faded out after the 2012 series, and even Sachin Tendulkar saw a dip post his struggles down under. Now, it’s Rohit Sharma who finds himself added to that list. In the recent series, he averaged just above 6, and followed it up with a 15 average in the home series against New Zealand. That, coupled with selectors moving in a new direction, led Rohit to walk away from the red-ball game.
A Career of Highs and Missed Heights
Rohit’s Test career was never a smooth ride. He struggled for consistency early on and couldn’t cement his place despite the world noticing his elegant strokeplay. It was only after 2019, when he began opening in Tests, that he found some rhythm—especially in England, where he averaged 45 as an opener, his best record outside India.
His transformation was technical and mental. Rohit tweaked his batting stance, changed how he held the bat, and built his technique against swing and seam from scratch—largely by himself. But Test cricket is brutal. What worked in one condition, like England, didn’t hold up in another. In Australia, the subtle seam movement found holes in his defense, and his reaction time against pace started to lag.
More Than Talent: A Self-Made Journey
Rohit was often seen as a “naturally gifted” batsman, but he never fully agreed. He began as a bowler, batting at No. 8, and it was an injury that turned him into a serious batter. His coach, Dinesh Lad, helped him rise, but Rohit has always maintained that what people called “talent” was really the result of hard work, not destiny.
When MS Dhoni asked him to open in ODIs, he reinvented his game again. When Ravi Shastri asked him to open in Tests, he pushed himself once more. In many ways, Rohit’s career is the story of a man who continuously adapted, but maybe never truly believed the pedestal others had placed him on.
The Final Scorecard
Debut: 2013
Matches: 59
Runs: 3,981
Average: 44.16
Centuries: 10
Best Overseas Series: England 2021
He wasn’t a great in whites, but he was a great trier. And sometimes, that’s just as powerful.
