Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma has spoken out for the first time about his retirement from Test cricket last month. Opening up about his decision to call time on his Test career, Rohit Sharma revealed that his father was incredibly disappointed with his decision.
“My father worked in a transport company. Like I said, what my mom did, my father was very much involved in sacrificing things so that we could have our life. But my father always, since day one, has been a fan of Test cricket. He doesn't like this new-age cricket. I still remember that day I scored 264 in the ODI. He was like, okay, well played. Well done. There was no excitement from him. It's important to go out there and all that,” Rohit Sharma said at the launch of Cheteshwar Pujara’s wife Puja Pujara's book 'The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife' in Mumbai.
“But even if I used to get good 30s or 40s or 50s or 60s, in Test cricket used to talk to me about it in detail. So that's the kind of love he had for the game. And he's obviously seen you go up the ranks. You play in school cricket. Then you play U19, the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Irani Trophy, and India A. And I've done all of that. So he has seen my journey through that. And through this, I've made it to the Indian team," Rohit said.
“My father has seen me playing a lot of cricket with red ball, obviously. So he appreciates red ball cricket a lot. And then, obviously, he was a little disappointed when I announced my retirement. But was happy as well at the same time. But, yeah, that's my father. And he has obviously played a huge role in wherever I am today. Without their help, it never would have been possible,” Rohit added.
Rohit played 67 Tests for India, amassing 4,301 runs, including 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries. Last year, Rohit bowed out of T20I cricket after leading India to the T20I World Cup title in West Indies. He will continue to represent India in ODIs.