Former India skipper Rohit Sharma has revealed that he contemplated taking an early retirement from cricket after losing the 2023 World Cup final.

Under Rohit’s captaincy, the Men in Blue had enjoyed an unbeaten run in the tournament until the title clash against Australia at Ahmedabad. It was such a heartbreaking result that Rohit didn’t feel like playing the sport anymore.

Rohit disappeared from public scrutiny for weeks after that final. He then bounced back emphatically, leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy wins.

“It was a tough pill to swallow but I knew life doesn’t end here," Rohit said at a recent event in Gurgaon.

“It was a lesson for me, ‘how can I leave it behind and start something fresh’ because life doesn’t end there. I knew there was something else coming up, the T20 World Cup 2024 in USA and West Indies and I had to put all my focus there. It’s very easy to say for me right now but it was very difficult to do it at that time. At one point, I literally thought that I don’t want to play this sport anymore because it has taken everything out of my body and I don’t have anything left in me," he added.

The 38-year-old, who is putting all the hard years to play the 2027 World Cup, explained how he persuaded himself to start chasing the dream again.

“It took me a little while to get back because I kept reminding myself that this is something that I love and dreamt of. It is right there in front of me and I cannot let it go so easily. It took a little bit of time and plenty of energy to get back on the field and start going again," Rohit remarked.

Having retired from T20Is and Tests, Rohit Sharma has now become one-format player. He performed exceptionally well in India’s last two ODI series against Australia and South Africa, showing that he has enough fuel left in the tank for the quadrennial event.