India national cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma has decided to retire from the red-ball format ahead of the Test series in England next month.
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The selectors of the Indian national team had already decided to remove Sharma from captaincy due to the latter's poor form in the longest format in recent times, as reported by the Indian Express.
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Sharma had been underperforming in the longest format for quite some time now, as India lost the series to New Zealand at home after 13 years, followed by a 3-1 thrashing at the hands of Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024/25.
The batter didn't feature in the first test due to personal issues, which India won under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah, but was back in time for the 2nd test. He dropped himself to no. 6 position in the batting lineup, before promoting himself back to the top for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
After a flurry of losses, Sharma sat out for the last test in Sydney, which sparked rumours regarding the long-term future of the veteran player in Test matches.
India's loss at the BGT meant they couldn't qualify for the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) for the first time, which is scheduled to be held in June this year.
Rohit Sharma announces retirement from Test cricket
The 38-year-old batter has announced his decision to retire from the longest format of the game via his Instagram handle. He posted an Instagram story where his Test cap could be seen and expressed his gratitude towards the same.
🚨 ROHIT SHARMA RETIRED FROM TEST CRICKET 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Yjtz8onaOr
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 7, 2025
In his story, Sharma wrote, "Hello everyone I would just like to share that I'm retiring from Test cricket. It's been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format."
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The batter also mentioned that he will continue leading the Men in Blue in the 50-over format. The selectors had already decided to move on from Rohit Sharma and find a new test captain ahead of the series against England in June.
Sharma had earlier expressed his desire of leading the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in England in a recent podcast of Beyond 23 hosted by Michael Clarke, which seems to be an unfulfilled dream now.
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The selectors have had multiple discussions in the last month over the veteran's future in Test cricket, and have iterated their vision towards the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) despite the board backing the Mumbaikar after the recent Champions Trophy triumph.
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Speaking to the IE, a source from the BCCI said, "The selectors’ thought process is clear. They want a new leader for the England tour and Rohit doesn’t fit in as a captain, especially considering his red-ball form."
The source further added that the selectors want the new Test captain ready for the next WTC cycle, which starts with the upcoming series in England.
"They want to groom a young leader for the next Test cycle and the selection committee has informed the BCCI that Rohit won’t lead the team."
Earlier this month, head coach Gautam Gambhir made it clear that any decision regarding Sharma's future will be taken by the selectors.