After the T20 World Cup triumph last year, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the shortest format for India. His red-ball future became a topic of debate after he stepped aside from the fifth Test against Australia at SCG in January 2025 due to poor form.
Speculations were rife that his international career won’t go beyond the recently held Champions Trophy 2025. However, the storylines changed after India clinched the coveted ICC title by beating New Zealand in the final last Sunday (March 9), with Rohit earning the Player-of-the-Match award for his 76-run knock.
According to a PTI report, Rohit remains the Test captain despite benching himself from the BGT finale in Sydney.
"Technically, Rohit remains the Test captain. He voluntarily benched himself from the last Test in Sydney where he explained that a team can't carry on with multiple out of form batters," PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying.
"After Australia Tests, India haven't played any Tests, and hence, there has been no change in Test captaincy. Also, Rohit never said he doesn't want to play Tests," the source added.
The news agency also reported that the final call will be taken later as head coach Gautam Gambhir's viewpoint will carry a lot of weightage in deciding the captaincy for the longest format.
"The selection committee gets a break during IPL. Obviously, with all matches televised, they always don't need to travel unless they have some specific strategy or they want to watch a particular player from up close," the source said.
"So once IPL starts, the blueprint for the England series will be drawn at some point. But (coach) Gautam Gambhir's viewpoint will have a lot of weightage," the source further stated.
Despite his struggles in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Australian soil — where his highest score in three Tests was just 10 — Rohit Sharma was optimistic about his future. His last Test half-century came in October 2024 against New Zealand.
Speaking to Star Sports during the Sydney Test, Rohit had remarked, “There is no guarantee that runs won’t come five or two months down the line. I have seen a lot of cricket. Life changes every second, every minute, every day. I have confidence in myself that things can change, but at the same time I have to be realistic as well.”
After the Champions Trophy triumph, Rohit also addressed the question regarding his ODI future, confirming that he was not going anywhere from the format.
“One more thing, I’m not going to retire from this format, just to make sure no more rumours are spread,” he told reporters.
While Rohit quashed rumours of his immediate retirement from the 50-over format, he remained non-committal about his participation in the 2027 World Cup.
"Right now, I am taking things as they come. It wouldn't be fair for me to think too far ahead. At this moment, my focus is on playing well and maintaining the right mindset. I don't want to draw any lines and say whether I will or won't play in the 2027 World Cup," Rohit said in an interaction with JioHotstar.
