‘I will retire straightaway’: Rohit reveals when he will hang up boots

PTI, Mar 10, 2024, 8:46 AM IST

Dharamsala: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said he has been playing the best cricket of his life at present but he will bid adieu to the sport on the day when he feels “not good enough.” Rohit, whose side thrashed England by an innings and 64 runs here on Saturday to clinch the five-match Test series 4-1, added that the youngsters in the side played with a lot of maturity and soaked in the pressure, which really stood out during the contest.

“One day, when I wake up and feel, I am not good enough then I will retire straightaway. But in the last few years I am playing the best cricket of my life,” Rohit told Jio Cinema after the fifth Test ended in less than three days.

Rohit has been India’s best Test batter in the last five years, having struck nine centuries since 2019, the year he started opening the innings in the longest format.

The BCCI had also confirmed that Rohit will lead the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup being jointly hosted by the West Indies and the USA.

In January, he scored a whirlwind century against Afghanistan in a T20I to show his hunger to score runs and also to lead the side.

Crediting the team for the series win against England he said, “When you win a Test like this, everything has to fall in place. At some stage people are gonna (go) and people are gonna come and we know that.

“These (young) guys are maybe short of experience, they have played a lot of cricket and I can stand here and see that these guys responded pretty well under pressure. The credit goes to the entire team and it was pleasing to see.” Yashasvi Jaiswal stood out with his twin double centuries, while Shubman Gill struck two centuries as they complemented the skipper, who himself had two tons to his credit in the series.

The skipper added that India are typically slow to start in a Test series but get up to speed soon, adding that he was disappointed that the Test series against South Africa last year was just a two-game affair.

India lost the opening Test but came back strongly to defeat the Proteas to level the series in the second match.

“We typically lose the first Test and then improve in the subsequent matches, so I was disappointed that we only played a two-match Test series in South Africa,” said Rohit.

He added that while the talk centered around players scoring centuries, due credit should also be give to the bowlers for taking 20 wickets.

“When you win a series like this, we talk about scoring runs and 100s but it is important to take 20 wickets to win a Test. The way bowlers took responsibility was pleasing to see.

“It was over a period of time that we had a conversation (with Kuldeep Yadav), he’s got a lot of potential and when the chips were down in the first innings (in Dharamsala), he bowled really well.

“After his injury, he came back and worked at the NCA and he is putting a lot of effort and the most pleasing thing was his batting,” added Rohit.