Medium built and burly, the indomitable hulk of India’s batting, time has caught up with the highly likable modest man with an endearing smile who with a stroke of his bat would transform that nicety in him to a ferocious warrior at war with opposing bowlers.
Such was Rohit Sharma, the Gentle Giant, a terror with the bat to bowlers whose greatest attribute was to breaking loose from the very first ball he faced.
This fearless disdain to bowlers did set him apart as a great batsman with the sword edge to taking bowling attacks apart.
That the test career of such a loyal servant to Indian cricket ended in a tumble down of a humiliating 3-1 defeat down under to Australia in what was to be Sharma’s last fling in the big boots marked a black chapter from a once princely run when he was cricket crazy India’s butchery hit man hero who was to overnight become unwanted with majority Indians calling for his removal. The bad blood vented against Sharma by a majority of Indians did portray the fickle side of cricket how an adoring nation can at the drop of a coin change like an unruly 5 mob that would not see reason about to lynch their man.
DISASTROUS CHAPTER
Indeed, the souring post Australia series events that by and large witnessed the most disastrous chapter of Sharma’s cricketing career by a terribly pathetic failure with the bat, was the most hurting. He found himself at the receiving end with pundits including sections of the Indian media shouting for the ousting of their once hit man in cricket with Sharmay hitting back that some with laptops in their hands were not going to dictate his future.
He came back strongly with his bat doing the talking when Sharma once again reached his once pristine element to leading India to the ICC Champions Trophy title in Dubai.
But a slumber again during the 2025 IPL for the Mumbai Indians was a blot as the BCCI was preparing to name the Indian squad for the test tour of England.
That the Rohit Sharma controversy reached a pitch in a hovering degree of uncertainty whether he was in or out in the final test leader equation kept mounting like a spreading fire that touched the very pulse of Indian cricket in an apparent clouded veil by those who call the shots at the BCCI where all decisions are made. It only served in further hyping up the Sharma test cricket saga.
Ultimately, the retirement of India’s once Darling of Cricket who in his hey day rose to be regarded as the hitman with the bat will by and large remain a lasting midsummer night’s dream of Indian cricket that has come to be world cricket’s powerhouse for the big money clout India thrives in.
In the run up to his retirement, there had been conflicting media reports about Sharma’s test career. Most recently just before his retirement decision, reports were rife that Sharna would lead zzz india on the test tour of England. would be retained as the captain.
It was in was in such a clamour that Rohit Sharma dropped his retirement bombshell. Word soon began to spread that his decision had been influenced by hearing that the BCCI was to name a new test captain.
Thus, a 11-year long voyage that actually reached a high during the second stage of his test career reached its ultimate with Sharma himself closing the lid on it in a screeching struggle with the bat and leadership ahead of India’s next tour of England in June in foraying into the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign.
In that agonising end to his 11-year long test career, Rohit Sharma will be best remembered as a batsman who soared in a hitman reputation evolving from a struggling middle-order batsman to a world-beater who went on to top the charts-as an opener whose grit and determination won the admiration of the rest of the cricketing world. It is oppertune to reflect on some of his great innings among which Sharma’s 177 against West Indies in 2013 was standout at the Wankhede Stadium. It carried an extra special significance being the great Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell. international match in all Mumbai affair of one great handing the reins to another on the rise. Rohit Sharma lit up the test cricket arena by a spellbinding Player of the Match innings of 177 off 301 balls showcased with 23 fours and a six in that Indian victory.
The trump card of Indian cricket now akin to a villain to the selectors might have been influenced to taking the big bow out by the realisation that the test team needed new infusion in the dimming of his form a big niggling factor as well and that the test team had to start anew for a transition following mainly bad defeats to Australia 3-1 and New Zealand 3-0.
He couldn’t be happy with his continued bad form with the bat st the IPL despite coming good in the Champions Trophy conquest when he did rekindle the good old era of the hitman he was wielding the willow in tracer bullet style. The final nail to his quit decision against his wishes was following reports the selectors were preparing to bring down their axe on him in the face of mounting criticism that he must be removed.
The impending end to Rohit Sharma:s test career was in the wake of continued failure in his batting performances.
over the past year averaging a mere 10.93 in his last eight Test matches with a highest score of 52. His sudden career breakdown was exposed in series against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia. It led to serious concerns leave aside his captaincy role, his place in the team. So much so that Sharma dropped himself from the eleven that faced Australia in the final test.
From that point the wheel had begun to spin against Sharma with the BCCI and Selectors’ losing faith in their captain to contemplating a change in the test captaincy. The selectors openly expressed the need for new blood accentuating on youth in view or the next Test championship hinting that Sharma was not in their equation for the June tour of England. It apparently would have hacked on Rohit Sharma’s mind to rescind his previous determined stance that he was not going anywhere but stay as the captain.
But a great wish of a once giant in the game has disintegrated in an obvious sadness to a mighty career.
So far and no further.