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Rohit Sharma had retired from Test cricket on May 7 and revealed his decision via a social media statement.
Rohit Sharma bids his goodbye to Test cricket. (AFP Photo)
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary reckons Rohit Sharma deserved a ceremonial farewell, given his contributions as the Indian Test captain. The ageing opener retired from the longest format on May 7 and revealed his decision via a social media statement. “It’s been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format,” Rohit wrote on his Instagram story. Tiwary perhaps wanted the T20 World Cup-winning captain to wait at least till the impending England tour, scheduled for June.
“If Rohit Sharma had retired not on social media but on the field after playing, it would have been a more fitting send-off. It would’ve felt better for all of us, too,” Tiwary said during a recent chat with Cricbuzz.
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Veterans like Tim Southee and James Anderson recently drew curtains on their Test careers, and their respective boards made sure to arrange a memorable farewell. But for Rohit, the situation is different. When he played his last Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in December 2024, no one was supposedly aware of his retirement plans.
Tiwary, however, has pointed his finger at the Indian team management for not acknowledging Rohit’s service in the Test teamover the course of11 years. “Just look at his record as a Testcaptain,it’s very good. He’s won 12 Tests, lost 9, and drawn 3. So there’s no doubt about his success rate — it’s solid,” the former Bengal star said.
Tiwary further explained how Rohit has become a favourite to many newcomers, who have often appreciated his leadership abilities. “He was a very popular leader among this group of boys. If you see, even the young players wanted to play under him. We always hear them say in their interviews, ‘Ireallyenjoyed playing under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy,’” Tiwary added.
Despite bidding a quiet goodbye to Test cricket, Rohit had a special farewell from the shortest format of the game. He announced his retirement after leading India to their second T20 World Cup title in Barbados last year. Rohit has represented India in 67 Tests and aggregated 4301 runs, including 12 centuries and 18 fifties.
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