"Arre mujhe ye gaali de raha hai" - Rohit Sharma takes a hilarious dig at critics after Test retirement [Watch]

Team India's star batter Rohit Sharma took a hilarious dig at critics after announcing his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday, May 7. The former Indian Test captain stated that players have developed thick skin to handle the criticism aimed at them.

Since the Test series at home against New Zealand last year, the 38-year-old faced heavy criticism, owing to a drop in form in his captaincy and batting. India lost the series to New Zealand by a humiliating 3-0 margin, followed by relinquishing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia after a 3-1 defeat.

When asked by Vimal Kumar during an interview on his YouTube channel whether criticism affects him, Rohit stated bluntly:

"Itna criticism jhela hai. Unnecessary criticism jhela hai. Agar affect karti hoti na player abhi ghar pe baitha hota. Bistar mein apne soya hota. 'Ki yaar mujhe toh criticise kiya jaa raha hai. Main nahin khel sakta. Yeh ho raha hai mere saath. poori duniya mere khilaaf hai. Arey mujhe yeh gaali de raha hai'. Yeh jo hai na, thick skin bolte hain na jisko yeh saare players mein built hai, build kiya hai unhone."

(I have taken so much criticism, unnecessary criticism. If it affected us, the player would have been at home and slept in his bed, thinking people are criticising me or the world is against him. This thick skin, every player has built in themselves).

The 38-year-old is arguably one of the best limited-overs captains India have had, having won the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy - both undefeated campaigns.

Rohit Sharma to continue playing in ODIs after retiring from Tests and T20Is

Rohit Sharma after Champions Trophy 2025 final. (Credits: Getty)

With an Indian Express report on Wednesday claiming that the veteran is set to be sacked as Test captain ahead of the England tour, Rohit announced his retirement from the format. In 67 Tests, the Nagpur-born cricketer has accumulated 4301 runs, averaging 40.57.

The opener led India in 24 Tests, winning 12 of them. However, the veteran will continue to play in ODIs and will target featuring in the 2027 World Cup after narrowly missing out on the trophy in 2023.