(Image source from: x.com/BCCI)
Rohit Sharma has addressed the swirling rumors surrounding his future in cricket. After leading India to victory against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening, he stated firmly, "I am not going to retire." Expanding on his point, he stated, "Let me clarify, I won't be retiring from this format so that no further rumors can take hold." Rohit, who has steered India to four ICC trophy finals, winning two of them, made this statement more as a declaration than as a reply to inquiries. During the post-match press conference, he seized the chance to reiterate his commitment to the sport.
In a part of his response, he addressed the media in Hindi, affirming that normalcy would prevail. "Future plans? I have no plans for the future. What is happening will keep happening," Rohit commented. He suggested that his ambition and enthusiasm for the game are still very much alive. Throughout the Champions Trophy, he amassed 180 runs, surpassing the significant milestone of 11,000 runs in his career. Across 273 ODIs, Rohit has accumulated 11,168 runs, maintaining an average of 48.76, with a remarkable 32 centuries, including three double hundreds.
The subject of retirement emerged during the Champions Trophy, with many predicting that he might step back from playing, similar to his decision after the T20 World Cup in Barbados the previous June. Following his team's triumph in the T20 World Cup, he had announced his retirement from T20 cricket. There has also been conjecture about Virat Kohli potentially making a similar decision, yet the former Indian captain has performed respectably in the Champions Trophy, recovering from a prior run drought by scoring 218 runs, inclusive of one century, in the five matches played. Like Rohit, Kohli had also retired from T20 internationals in Barbados last June.
