3 reasons why Rohit Sharma retiring from Tests is the right move

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma stunned the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from Tests on Wednesday, May 7. The 38-year-old finishes his Test career with 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57 in 67 matches. Rohit also reached three figures 12 times in his red-ball career and scored 18 half-centuries.

The veteran batter took to his Instagram handle to announce his Test retirement, stating:

"Hello everyone I would just like to share that I am 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."

Rohit took over as India's Test captain, replacing Virat Kohli, in 2022 and helped the side finish runners-up in the 2021-23 World Test Championship (WTC). Despite an impressive overall Test record and the suddenness of his announcement, Rohit's decision is right in more ways than one.

On that note, let us look at three key reasons why Rohit Sharma's retirement from Tests is justified.

#1 Rohit is at the wrong end of form and age

Rohit Sharma's Test form has been trending south over the past few months. [Credit: Getty]

Rohit Sharma has endured an extended lean patch in Test cricket, with seemingly no signs of an upswing. After a relatively impressive home series against England at the start of last year, the opening batter went through arguably his worst stretch in the Indian whites.

Rohit averaged a dismal 10.93 in his last 15 Test innings, with a lone half-century and several single-digit scores. Things hit rock bottom in the most recent Test series Down Under, where he averaged an embarrassing 6.20 in three outings.

It got to the point where Rohit dropped himself from the 11 for the final Test against Australia in Sydney. He tried to rediscover his red-ball form by playing a game for Mumbai in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy.

However, a combined 31 runs across the two innings only added to his woes in the long format. Furthermore, Rohit is already 38, and the chances of returning to form in arguably the most challenging format are usually low at his advanced age.

With form and age not on his side, it is safe to say Rohit has timed his Test retirement to perfection.

#2 Perfect time for a change in captaincy and overall setup

One can say, batting form aside, Rohit Sharma was struggling as India's Test captain over the last two series. India suffered one of their most embarrassing moments in their Test history when a much inferior New Zealand side whitewashed them 3-0 at home towards the end of last year.

It was their first-ever home series whitewash with three or more Tests and their first overall since 2000. The series loss was also India's first at home for over a decade.

The alarm bells rang louder when India won the series opener in Australia under Jasprit Bumrah in Rohit's absence. Yet, once Rohit took over from the second to the fourth Tests, India lost two of the three games without much resistance. Missing the WTC final qualification for the first time in tournament history meant a change of captaincy was almost inevitable.

With the upcoming tour of England being the start of the new WTC cycle, the timing for a younger Test captain could not be better.

#3 Other in-form red-ball openers waiting in the wings

The KL Rahul-Yashasvi Jaiswal opening combination could be back for India in England. [Credit: Getty]

The ping-pong around Rohit Sharma's batting position was a massive issue in India's Test series defeat in Australia earlier this year. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal forged a brilliant double-century partnership in Rohit's absence in the series opener.

Yet, Rohit's return created chaos as he resorted to batting in the lower middle-order in the next two Tests, resulting in a series of low scores. The Indian skipper returned to his customary opening position in the penultimate Test, leading to an in-form Rahul sacrificing the spot.

It resulted in Rahul's form gradually falling off, while Rohit continued his struggles even at the top. Furthermore, India could not present an opportunity to the in-form Abhimanyu Easwaran at the top in any of the five Tests.

Several other openers and batters have been setting the domestic circuit on fire, and Rohit's retirement could lead to any of them partnering Jaiswal in the immediate future. For starters, Rohit's retirement should clear any hurdles for India to open with Rahul and Jaiswal to start the upcoming England tour.