Rohit Sharma announces retirement from Test cricket amid Operation Sindoor chatter

New Delhi: Amid widespread coverage of Operation Sindoor on national news channels, Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday surprising fans and experts.

Just a few months ago, Rohit had told Irfan Pathan in an interview, “I am not going anywhere,” dismissing any speculation about stepping away from the game. He had also spoken at length about his Test ambitions on former Australian captain Michael Clarke’s podcast Beyond 23, where he discussed leading the team on the England tour and managing the pace attack spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.

However, today’s developments made it clear that Rohit had little choice but to step down. According to sources, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his panel had held multiple discussions regarding Rohit’s future in red-ball cricket. Agarkar reportedly conveyed the selectors’ collective opinion to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday.

Top BCCI officials later endorsed the recommendation and informed Rohit of the decision. Following this, Rohit decided to retire from the longest format of the game.