A Test retirement that many saw coming, but it still came as a surprise. Yes, with the whole nation glued to their TV and social media channels on what’s happening at the Line of Control (LOC) between India and Pakistan, India’s Test captain made an MS Dhoni move. He quietly announced his Test retirement at 19:29 hours on May 7, the exact time when Dhoni announced his retirement. But one might question why now, why not after the Australia series or when India’s squad for England Test series is announced.
The reason is: It was not entirely in Rohit’s hands. The BCCI Selection Committee forced him to take that call early. As per a Times of India report, Rohit offered to step down as the Tets captain and play Test as a player. However, considering his poor form, the selectors did not want any chaos on the England tour, like in Australia with Ravichandran Ashwin.
“Rohit had himself offered to relinquish Test captaincy. Last week, he had communicated to the selectors that they should be looking for other options. He wanted to test himself out in the first two Tests. However, the selectors weren’t comfortable with that idea,” a BCCI source told TOI on Wednesday.
Cricket 6 mins Where does Rohit Sharma rank among India’s Test captains?ROHIT SHARMA RETIRED FROM TEST CRICKET pic.twitter.com/Yjtz8onaOr
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 7, 2025Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement: 4 months too late
After averaging 6.20 in five innings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and then dropping himself out of the final Test, Rohit Sharma made his position untenable. He had to go. Rohit averaged 11.47 in the last red-ball season in 17 innings. While he returned to form in the white-ball season, his red-ball form is such that the selectors can’t find a place for him in India’s squad for England series.
He either had to lead India in England — something selectors were not comfortable about — or he had to retire from Tests. Rohit chose the latter.
“He was asked to commit to the entire tour. The selectors and team management didn’t want to deal with chaos in the middle of the tour, like it happened with Ravichandran Ashwin on the tour of Australia. Rohit also arrived on the same page and decided to call it quits,” the source said.
Cricket 6 mins Rohit Sharma Test career complete statsCountless memories, magnificent moments.Thank you, Captain #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/l6cudgyaZC
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 7, 2025Rohit Sharma in 2024-25 red-ball season
SeriesInnsRunsAvg50/100vs Bangladesh44210.500/0vs New Zealand69115.151/0vs Australia5316.200/0Ranji Trophy23115.500/0Overall1719511.471/0New leader for new WTC cycle
Even when the BCCI appointed Rohit Sharma as the Test captain back in 2022, the thought process was clear. He would be grooming the youngsters to take up captaincy from the next Test cycle. Rohit was supposed to be a stop-gap solution after Virat Kohli called it quits. However, with Rohit leading India to T20 World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy, things changed a bit.
The other problem was the inconsistency of the next-gen stars. Initially, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill were on the shortlist to succeed Rohit. Bumrah seemed to be the natural successor. However, workload management of a fast bowler of all three formats, especially of Bumrah’s kind, made that an impossible choice.
KL Rahul doesn’t even have a permanent spot on the Test side. Hence, he was also ruled out. That has left Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant as the two choices. Gill is already the vice-captain of the white-ball sides and will succeed Rohit in ODIs and Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is. But in Test, he hasn’t proven his mettle yet.
Cricket 6 mins Shubman Gill the next captain-elect as Rohit Sharma retires from TestsShubman-Rishabh conundrum
Shubman averages 25.70 in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia). While he hasn’t played a Test in New Zealand yet, his poor returns in the other three countries make it a difficult choice. In a way, he isn’t ready for the leap to Test captaincy.
The other option, Rishabh Pant, does not have a great record as a captain. He is also out of form in all three formats and even in the IPL 2025. His poor shot selection prompted batting great Sunil Gavaskar to shout: Stupid, stupid, stupid three times during commentary in Australia. These conundrums forced selectors to delay their call.
But now, instead of another stop-gap solution in Virat Kohli, who is also out of form in Test, the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI Selection Committee wants to take a call for the future. And, Shubman Gill still emerges as the best option.
“The selectors’ thought process is clear. They want a new leader for the England tour and Rohit doesn’t fit in as a captain, especially considering his red-ball form. They want to groom a young leader for the next Test cycle and the selection committee has informed the BCCI that Rohit won’t lead the team,” a BCCI source told the Indian Express.
Shubman Gill captaincy records
FormatMatWinLossWin%Test0000ODI0000T20I54180IPL23131056.52FC51240List A65183.33T2021150Overall41241560.98Rishabh Pant Captaincy Records
FormatMatWinLossWin%Test0000ODI0000T20I52250IPL54282552.77FC52160List A85362.5Overall72373152.78How BCCI denying Rohit Sharma’s request led to Indian captain’s retirement? Inside Sport India.
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