NEW DELHI: Cricketers in India are revered as heroes, but their departures often leave a bittersweet taste. They dominate with breathtaking performances — cover drives, towering sixes, dismantling wickets, and match-winning feats. Yet, their careers often end quietly, with little fanfare.
Rohit Sharma, India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain, is set to face such an ending to his red-ball career.
Already retired from T20Is after leading India to World Cup glory last year, Rohit now finds himself at a juncture where he’s played his last in the whites.
Rohit’s recent Test form has been underwhelming, averaging just 6.2 across his last three matches in Australia and 10.93 in the past nine Tests. Combined with India’s struggles in the current World Test Championship cycle, his place in the squad had come under question.
With the right-handed opener due to miss the Test in Sydney, his last appearance as an India Test player came in Melbourne during the Boxing Day Test.
Rohit wouldn’t be the first Indian cricketer to experience an abrupt end to a stellar career. Legends like MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman have faced similar farewells. Most recently, R Ashwin announced his retirement after the Brisbane Test.
Dhoni’s decision in 2014 shocked fans. It came mid-way through a Test series in Australia, following the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Batting on 24 when the match ended early, Dhoni made no mention of his retirement. Instead, the BCCI announced his decision through a press release, citing “the strain of playing all formats” as the reason.
“MS Dhoni, one of India’s greatest Test captains under whose leadership India became the No. 1 Test team, has decided to retire from Test cricket,” the board stated. Dhoni said goodbye and handed over the reigns to Virat Kohli, who then captained the team in Sydney.
Rahul Dravid also bid farewell after a dismal tour of Australia, where he averaged 24.25 and was bowled six times in eight innings. Dravid retired with 13,288 Test runs to his name.
VVS Laxman announced his decision tearfully in his hometown Hyderabad after poor performances during the tours of England and Australia in 2011.
Ashwin, India’s premier spinner for years, announced his retirement after a drawn Test in Brisbane. “Today will be the last day for me as an India cricketer,” he said, declining to take questions and signaling the end of an era.
Now, with Rohit dropped for the crucial SCG Test, fans await an announcement, marking the end of another chapter in Indian cricket.
