2 Reasons Why Rohit Sharma Should Retire From Test Cricket

Rohit Sharma was made the Indian Test captain in early 2022 after Virat Kohli stepped down as the leader of the side. The hope and aim of BCCI putting Rohit at the helm was that he would help India in two of their biggest ambitions in Test cricket: winning the World Test Championship and winning a Test series in South Africa.

Not only Rohit the captain failed to deliver these two dreams, Rohit the batsman is also now struggling in the longest format.

While he has been in sensational form in white-ball cricket over the past year, Rohit Sharma’s form in Test cricket has been dwindling. Starting from March 2022, and excluding his runs against a depleted, weak West Indies bowling attack, Rohit Sharma averages only 30 in 19 Test innings with only 1 century and no half-century – just one landmark in 19 knocks. Moreover, his manner of dismissals are a concern, too.

Has the time come for Rohit Sharma to bid adieu to Test cricket? There are a couple of solid arguments that we can make for this.

2 Reasons Why Rohit Sharma Should Retire From Test Cricket:

Age is catching up with Rohit as his reflexes have slowed down

Rohit Sharma will turn 37 and his reflexes have certainly slowed down with age, and are not the same as it were a couple of years ago. For example, his recent bowled dismissals against Kagiso Rabada and James Anderson were caused by the ball swinging in at full length that got him driving with a slanted bat, but the ball seamed away to knock the off-stump.

These are signs of a batsman aging and past his prime in the longest format; the seam movement in Test cricket is something that is perhaps the most difficult to account for any batsman in the world. With Rohit’s age, it’s even more of a challenging task.

Extra focus on white-ball formats could help him and India more in winning an ICC trophy in next 24 months

In modern-day cricket, it’s almost impossible for a player to succeed in all three formats at the same time. And Rohit is no different. While Rohit Sharma has been in belligerent form in white-ball cricket, his Test returns have been dipping.

His age and dip in form in Test cricket might be an indication for Rohit to drop Test cricket and put all his focus and energies in white-ball cricket, which, if some luck goes India way, could also help them end their ICC title drought.

India are desperate for an ICC trophy, and the next 24 months provide an opportunity: T20 World Cup 2024 in June this year and the Champions Trophy next year. Rohit Sharma is a key cog if India are to win at least one of these two ICC tournaments, and he needs to be at his best to achieve the dream.

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