Rohit Sharma reveals father was ‘disappointed’ with his Test retirement

India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma recently revealed that his father, Gurunath Sharma, was `a little disappointed` with his decision to retire from Test cricket.

“He has seen me play a lot of cricket with the red ball, obviously. So, he appreciates red-ball cricket a lot and was a little disappointed when I announced my retirement, but he was happy as well at the same time,” said the veteran of 67 Test matches during the launch event of The Diary of a Cricketer’s Wife, written by Cheteshwar Pujara’s wife, Puja.

Rohit added that his father, `a fan of Test cricket`, would discuss his innings in detail, even when he scored just in the 30s or 40s.

“He has always been a fan of Test cricket from day one. He does not like this new age cricket,” added the 38-year-old cricketer. “Even if I get a good 30s or 40s or 50s or 60s in Test cricket, he would talk to me in detail. That`s the kind of love he had for the game. I still remember the day I scored 264 in an ODI. He was like, `Okay, well played, well done.` There was no such excitement, despite it being a world record.”

Reminiscent of the past, when Rohit Sharma registered the highest-ever individual score in ODI cricket, he recalled his father’s reaction to the world record. In an ODI match against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, the right-hander smashed 264 runs off just 173 deliveries. His explosive innings, played at a strike rate of 152.50, included 33 boundaries and nine sixes

Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 7. Having represented India in 67 matches, the right-hander has scored 4,301 runs, including 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries. His top score in the longest format of the game remains 212 runs.

Rohit’s decision to step away from Test cricket follows his earlier announcement in June 2024, when he retired from T20 Internationals after leading India to a historic seven-run victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final. That triumph allowed him to bow out of the shortest format on a high.

2024 proved to be a particularly challenging year for Rohit in the format. In eight Tests, he averaged a mere 10.93 across 15 innings, the lowest average recorded by any top-seven batter with at least 15 innings in the 2024–25 season. This dramatic dip in form included 10 single-digit scores, the highest tally for any top-order batter in a single Test season, further highlighting his prolonged struggles.

(With ANI Inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day