After World Test Championship...: Rohit Sharma’s coach makes bold retirement remark

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, October 9, 2024: Just days before, India’s Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma revealed that he has no intentions of hanging up his boots anytime soon. Rohit is no longer an active player in T20 internationals and has had the retirement sword handing over his head for a while. Though Hitman himself hasn’t given any indication of potential retirement timeline, his childhood coach Dinesh Lad feels Rohit could quit the Test format after the current World Test Championship cycle concludes, keeping his age in mind.

"No, look I am not saying that Rohit Sharma will announce his retirement after the World Test Championship, maybe he will. Because as his age is increasing, it seems that he may retire from Tests," Rohit’s former coach Dinesh Lad told Dainik Jagran.

However, Lad has no doubts about Rohit’s continuity as a player till the 2027 ODI World Cup. The Indian team had big hopes of winning the 50-over World Cup title last year but were beaten in the final by Australia. According to Lad, Rohit would look to fulfill his dream in 2027 if he manages to keep himself fit.

"The reason for this may also be that he wants to keep himself fit for ODI cricket. However, I promise 100 percent that Rohit Sharma will play in the 2027 ODI World Cup. The type of cricket Rohit is playing is unbelievable," he added.

During his appearance on Kapil Sharma’s comedy show, Rohit shed light on T20I retirement, saying he moved on in order to give the younger generation opportunities in the shortest format.

"The only reason I retired from T20Is was I have had my time. I enjoyed playing the format. I played it for 17 years. We won the World Cup and that was the best time for me to decide that, ’Okay. It’s time to move on and look after other things," Rohit said.

"There are several talented players who can do well for India. I just felt that was the right time. I could still play all three formats for India easily. That’s why I said, fitness is in your mind. I’m a person with self-belief. I can control my mind when I have to. Sometimes it is not easy but most of the time I can do that," he added.