Indian skipper Rohit Sharma confirmed his retirement from T20 International cricket following India’s T20 World Cup 2024 win in June.
At 37, Sharma not only stood by his decision but also took a light jab at the trend of players reversing their retirements.
Speaking alongside Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, who also retired from T20Is, Rohit emphasized moving on at the right moment after leading India to a victory over South Africa in the World Cup final.
Addressing the retirement trend, Sharma remarked, “Retirement has become a joke these days in the world of cricket. People announce retirement but then return to play. It hasn’t happened much in India, but I’ve seen players from other countries make a U-turn. So you never really know whether someone has actually retired.”
Sharma explained that his decision to retire was well thought out: “My decision is final and I am very clear. It was the perfect time to say goodbye to the format I really loved playing. I played 50-over cricket for India and went straight into the T20 World Cup in 2007. I won then and won again in 2024. It was a good time to move on.”
In his T20I career, spanning 159 matches, Sharma scored 4,231 runs at a strike rate of 140.89, including five centuries and 32 fifties.
Despite stepping away from T20Is, Rohit will continue to lead India in Tests and ODIs, including the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh and preparations for the 2025 Champions Trophy.