Rohit Sharma has put an end to mounting speculation about his career. “I am not going to retire,” the skipper said after India beat New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) on Sunday night.
He elaborated on the point suo motto. “One more thing. I’m not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumours are spread moving forward,” Rohit, who led India to four ICC trophy finals, including two titles, declared.
In fact, it was more of an announcement than a response to a question. After the customary media conference following the final, he took the opportunity to reaffirm that he was not stepping away from the game.
In a partial response to a question during the media conference, he answered in Hindi, stating that things would continue as usual. “Future plan? There is no future plan. What is going on, will continue,” Rohit remarked. He hinted that there is still a lot of hunger in him, implying his drive and passion remain strong.
He scored 180 runs in the Champions Trophy, crossing the 11,000-run mark during the course of the tournament. In 273 ODIs, he has 11,168 runs at an average of 48.76 with 32 centuries, including three double centuries.
The topic of retirement came up during the Champions Trophy, with many speculating that he would step away, much like he had done after the T20 World Cup in Barbados last June. Immediately after leading the team to the title in the T20 World Cup, he announced his retirement from the T20 format.
There has been speculation about Virat Kohli taking that step as well but the former India captain has done reasonably well in the Champions Trophy after previously struggling for runs. He has scored 218 runs, including a century, in the five matches here. Like Rohit, he too hung his T20I shoes in Barbados last June.
