Rohit Sharma Says His Father Loves Test Cricket, This Happened As He Broke Retirement News
Rohit Sharma revealed that his father doesn't enjoy the new-age cricket and adores Tests the most.
- Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket, surprising many fans and experts.
- He had previously expressed a desire to continue playing despite recent poor form.
- Rohit’s father, a devoted Test cricket fan, initially reacted with disappointment to his son's decision.
One of the greatest opening batters Indian cricket has produced, Rohit Sharma's call to quit Test cricket ahead of the squad selection for the England tour left many by surprise. After the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rohit had publicly expressed his desire to continue playing Test cricket, even though he wasn't in the best of form. From pledging his services to red-ball cricket, even showing intent by returning to the Ranji Trophy, Rohit decided to hang up his boots, leaving the entire Indian cricketing spectrum shocked.
Rohit's decision didn't just leave his fans disappointed, but also his father. In a chat during the launch of Cheteshwar Pujara's wife Puja Pujara's book 'The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife' in Mumbai, Rohit revealed how much his father adores Test cricket. Hence, his decision to quit the format wasn't fully accepted by his father.
"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 always 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 said at the launch.
"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," he added.
While the initial reaction was one of disappointment, Rohit said that his father eventually made peace with the call and was happy.Â
"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," said Rohit.
"My father has seen me playing a lot of cricket with the 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," he added.
Rohit concluded his Test career with 12 centuries and 18 fifties to his name. He even led India to a World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2023, though this title continues to evade the national team.
Rohit Sharma