Neither the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) nor the choice committee was involved in Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement. It was entirely his personal decision, asserted BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla.
Rohit Sharma had announced his retirement on Wednesday prior to the five-match Test series in England that starts on June 20, further stating that he would remain available for the ODIs the only cricketing format since he had already declared his retirement from T20Is after guiding India to last year’s World Cup.
No Pressure from BCCI says Rajiv Shukla
Rajiv Shukla maintained that BCCI did not pressure Rohit to retire from Test cricket. “As far as Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket is concerned, he has made his own decision.
“It is our policy that the players who take the decision of retirement we do not put any pressure on them, nor do we suggest anything, nor do we say anything,” Shukla told PTI Videos.
Shukla Hails Rohit’s Contribution
Rohit Sharma is a proven white-ball master, but could not carry that form to the 67 Tests he appeared in. Shukla asserted his input to the five-day game was huge.
“The more we praise him, the less it is. He is a great batsman. The good thing is that he has not yet decided to retire from cricket (will play only ODIs). So we will definitely take advantage of his experience and talent,” said Shukla.
Rohit Sharma’s Record as Test Batter
Rohit’s home Test record is good, with 2,535 runs scored in 34 Tests at 51.73, with 10 hundreds and eight fifties in 55 innings, with a best of 212.
Away from home, with two ICC World Test Championship final matches played at neutral grounds in UK, Rohit’s lackluster record stands at 1,766 runs in 33 Tests and 61 innings at 30.98 average. He has just two away centuries and 10 fifties with a highest score of 127.
His top performance as an overseas batsman is in the West Indies, where he has scored 290 runs in four Tests and five innings at 58.00, a century and two half-centuries.
