Ravi Shastri says he won’t be shocked if Rohit Sharma announces retirement from Test cricket

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has opined that he won’t be shocked if Rohit Sharma announces his retirement from Test cricket after the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia. Shastri recently said Rohit will need to discuss his Test future with the selectors after the Sydney Test as he is getting late on the ball and his footwork is also not right whereas he backed Virat Kohli to play for a couple of more years.

According to Indian Express, Rohit has opted out of the fifth Test, and in his place, Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team. 

After missing the opening Test at Perth due to personal reasons, Rohit has returned with scores of 3, 6, 10, 3, and 9 in the five innings of the last three Test matches. In the last 15 Test innings, Rohit has managed a solitary fifty and thus his future is hanging by a thin thread.

“If I were anywhere near Rohit Sharma, I’d tell him Just go and smash it. Go out there and have a blast,” Shastri said on The ICC Review. “Right now, playing the way he is, it’s not looking great. He needs to take the attack to the opposition and see what happens.”

Shastri said it was disappointing to see Shubman Gill warming the bench in the fourth Test at the MCG.

“He’ll take a call on his career, but I won’t be shocked if he retires because he’s not getting any younger,” Shastri said.

“There are young players waiting in the wings, like Shubman Gill, who averages over 40 in 2024. Seeing a player of that quality sitting on the bench makes you wonder. So I wouldn’t be surprised, but it’s ultimately his decision.

“If India qualifies for the World Test Championship Final, it’s a different story. Otherwise, this might be the right time for him to go out with a blaze of glory.”

The fifth and final Test match between Australia and India will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 onwards.