Indian captain Rohit Sharma has struggled with his batting this year, not finding his form during consecutive Test series against New Zealand and Australia. His difficult stretch reached a critical point when he skipped the fifth Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which intensified speculation regarding his future.
Even when he was playing domestic cricket, when the Ranji Trophy match came by for Mumbai, he failed to make a tangible impact and even raised further alarm about his prospect of bouncing back. It had been going pretty well for him, with form dipping in this series, so a wave of criticism followed. Fans on social media started asking if it is time for Rohit to move aside.
There were rumours about the Indian captain considering retirement, but on Wednesday, Rohit dismissed those speculations, saying he is not worried about the gossip and is solely focused on India’s future commitments.
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“How does it matter what my future plans are when we have three ODIs and a Champions Trophy coming up?” Rohit Sharma said at the pre-match press conference ahead of India’s three-match ODI series against England. “These reports have been around for years, and I don’t feel the need to clarify them. Right now, my focus is on the matches ahead, and we’ll see what happens after that.”
Rohit Sharma Cooked His Haters 😂❤️ pic.twitter.com/dwfJtnk6nQ
— 𝐉𝐨𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞 (@jod_insane) February 5, 2025
India will host England in a three-match ODI series that will act as a preparatory ground for the Champions Trophy scheduled for February 19. For Rohit, this will be an opportunity to silence the critics and regain his lost form. His show in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy where he could only score 31 runs in five innings at an abysmal average of 6.20 has been well within the bounds of raising justifiable concerns.
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Rohit has publicly stated he plans no retirement; however, the BCCI has reportedly asked him to outline his future intentions after the Champions Trophy. Whether he continues after the tournament or not, the spotlight will be on how the Indian captain responds to this increasing pressure.
