Champions Trophy reportedly last stand for Rohit Sharma

DUBAI: According to Indian media, India skipper Rohit Sharma has reportedly confirmed that he will retire from international cricket after the ICC Champions Trophy.

Some reports attribute the information to Cricblogger, while others cite sources within the BCCI.

Rohit’s last performance in international cricket was India’s latest series against Australia in tests. The Indian skipper had dismal performances in each of the three matches he played, scoring a total of 31 runs across the series.

His poor outing drove speculation regarding his potential retirement, which Rohit was quick to quell.

“Like I told you this decision is not a retirement decision nor am I going to step aside from the game, there is no such decision,” Rohit explained after it was announced he would not be competing in the final test of the series, which took place in Sydney.

That was Rohit’s last comments regarding his potential retirement before he reportedly agreed to lead the Indian side in the Champions Trophy, under the condition that he will retire from all formats upon the tournament’s completion.

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An Incredible Career

If Rohit does retire, it will be the end of an incredible career. While he did well in all three formats, Rohit truly shined in ODIs. Across the 265 matches he has played, he has scored over 10800 runs. His highest score is 264, a fantastic knock that came against Sri Lanka in 2014. The year prior he scored 209 against Australia, and in 2017 he made his second double ton against the Lions. The 37-year-old batter has made an incredible 57 half centuries, and 31 centuries in the format. He averages an incredible 49 runs in ODIs.

When it comes to tests, the skipper scored over 4300 runs across 67 matches, with an average of 40. His high score of 212 came against South Africa in 2019, which he made made in just one innings. Rohit has 18 half centuries and 12 tons in the longest format.

In T20Is he has made over 4200 runs across 159 matches, with an average of 32. His high score of 121 came against Afghanistan just this last year. Rohit has an outstanding 32 half centuries and five centuries in the shortest format.

Champions Trophy

If Rohit is to retire at the end of this year’s champions trophy, which kicks off on February 19 and ends on March 9, fans will get the chance to watch him play a minimum of three times. India’s first match will see them face off against Bangladesh on February 20. Their second match will pit them against rivals Pakistan on February 23. The final match of their group stage outings takes place on March 2, and will see them face New Zealand.

If India do qualify, Rohit will have the chance to show his artistry at least once more in the semi-finals. And then once again if India are one of the last two teams’ standings.

Rohit and his team will play all their matches in Dubai as part of the agreed upon hybrid-format, due to which Pakistan and India will continue to play their ICC tournament games at neutral venues for until 2028.

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