Rohit Sharma caught BCCI off-guard; created panic among selectors with Test Retirement

Rohit Sharma quietly announced his retirement from Test Cricket through an Instagram story on Wednesday (May 7), leaving many surprised. But what caught everyone’s attention was the timing, as Rohit Sharma called time on his Test career just a day after a big event at the BCCI headquarters.

As reported by Cricbuzz, a grand ceremony was held at the BCCI headquarters to honor two of India’s greatest cricket legends—Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar—with dedicated rooms named after them on Tuesday, May 6.

Rohit Sharma announces Test retirement after skipping BCCI ceremony

The event was attended by top cricket officials, including selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar, BCCI president Roger Binny, secretary Devajit Saikia, and GM Abey Kuruvilla. But one notable name was missing, and that is Rohit Sharma.

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Mumbai Indians had an IPL 2025 match later that evening against Gujarat Titans, and Rohit was scheduled to play in that clash, but what followed left everyone stunned. Just a day after the ceremony, Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket through a simple social media post.

The timing shocked not only fans but also BCCI officials and even his own Mumbai Indians teammates. The Cricbuzz report revealed that Rohit informed the top BCCI officials via email on Wednesday evening. Interestingly, around the same time his Instagram post went live, Ajit Agarkar was seen on a phone call at the Cricket Club of India.

Read Also: Jasprit Bumrah or Shubman Gill? Madan Lal picks Rohit Sharma's successor as India's Test Captain

Ajit Agarkar shocked as Rohit Sharma announced Test retirement through Instagram Story!!

However, there’s no confirmation on whether Agarkar was talking to Rohit, but many wondered if it had anything to do with the latter’s sudden retirement decision. But it is clear that the Indian selectors were shocked by Rohit’s move, and they had no information until the announcement.

There have been murmurs that the national selectors were possibly considering a leadership change and might not have planned to retain Rohit as Test captain for the England tour. Sources suggest that while the selectors discussed the England tour earlier in the week, there’s no confirmation that captaincy was even on the table.

However, the decision on Rohit’s captaincy future was expected just before the Test squad announcement, which will likely happen around the IPL 2025 play-offs. Notably, the India A squad, featuring players not involved in the playoffs, is expected to be named around May 15.

Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement linked to IPL 2025 form?

According to Cricbuzz, Rohit had planned to take a call on his Test career based on how his IPL 2025 campaign panned out. In 11 matches, the senior opening batter scored 300 runs at an average of 30 in the ongoing IPL 2025, and that is decent but not up to his standards.

Whether Test retirement was purely Rohit’s decision or influenced by behind-the-scenes factors remains unclear. Interestingly, BCCI didn’t renew the contract of some members of the Indian support staff who were believed to be close to Rohit, and one of them is Abhishek Nayar.

Recently, Rohit publicly praised Nayar for helping him to rediscover his form, adding fuel to speculation. However, Rohit will continue to play ODIs and lead the team in the format. He confirmed his ODI future in his retirement post, as he is aiming to stay in the mix till the 2027 World Cup.

Read Also: Not Just The Time!! 3 Shocking Coincidences Emerge Between Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni's Retirements