"There was no excitement from him" - Rohit Sharma's reveals father's reaction to iconic knock during book launch after IPL 2025

Team India ODI captain Rohit Sharma revealed his father's love for Test cricket by recalling the unexcited reaction to his iconic 264 in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2014. The 38-year-old holds the record for the highest ODI score, which he achieved with his 264 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata over a decade ago.

Rohit recently retired from Tests in a shocker ahead of the all-important tour of England. Team India will play five Tests in England, starting June 20.

Highlighting his father's regard for the long format in Cheteshwar Pujara's wife's book launch, Rohit said (via Hindustan Times):

"I still remember that day I scored 264 in the ODI. He was like, okay, well played. Well done. There was no excitement from him. It's important to go out there and all that. But even if I used to get good 30s or 40s or 50s or 60s, in Test cricket used to talk to me about it in detail. So that's the kind of love he had for the game. And he's obviously seen you go up the ranks."

He added:

"My father worked in a transport company. Like I said, what my mom did, my father was very much involved in sacrificing things so that we could have our life. But my father always, since day one, has been a fan of Test cricket. He doesn't like this new-age cricket."

Following Rohit Sharma's sudden Test retirement, India appointed Shubman Gill as the next red-ball captain.

"He was a little disappointed when I announced my retirement" - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma revealed that his father was disappointed when he recently announced his retirement from Test cricket. A week after the announcement, India lost another stalwart from the red-ball format when Virat Kohli also retired from Tests.

Rohit finished his Test career with 4,301 runs in 67 matches at an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries.

"My father has seen me playing a lot of cricket with red ball, obviously. So he appreciates red ball cricket a lot. And then, obviously, he was a little disappointed when I announced my retirement. But was happy as well at the same time. But, yeah, that's my father. And he has obviously played a huge role in wherever I am today. Without their help, it never would have been possible," said Rohit (via aforementioned source).

Batting aside, Rohit Sharma captained India in 24 Tests since taking over in early 2022, winning 12 and losing nine. However, his Test career as a batter and captain ended poorly with India losing back-to-back series against New Zealand and Australia by 0-3 and 1-3 margins, respectively.