Rohit Sharma shockingly claims he 'can still play all three formats' despite T20I retirement
Published - 29 Sep 2024, 10:12 AM | Updated - 29 Sep 2024, 10:24 AM
Team India Test and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma has opened up about his retirement from the T20I format, adding that he felt it was the right time to move on. However, Rohit Sharma revealed that he is still good enough to play all three formats of the game for the Indian national cricket team.
Rohit Sharma retired from the shorter international format after the T20 World Cup 2024 victory in June. The right-handed batter became the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to win the T20 World Cup. Notably, Rohit was also part of the Indian squad in the T20 World Cup victory in 2007.
The 37-year-old leads the charts in leading run-getters in T20Is. The opening batter scored 4,231 runs in 159 matches at a decent average of 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89. He smashed five centuries and 32 fifties to his name. Rohit and Maxwell are the only two batters to score five T20I centuries.
I Have Had My Time - Rohit Sharma
Speaking on Jitendra Chouksey's podcast, Rohit Sharma said that he felt it was the right time to step away after playing 17 years in the format. Sharma said that he wanted to make room for younger players who can do well for India in T20Is.
“The only reason I retired from T20Is is because I have had my time, I enjoyed playing the format, I played for 17 years, I did well and all of that,” Rohit said a few months after India won an ICC trophy.
"Then, you won the (2024) World Cup. This was the best time for me to decide that ‘okay, this is now time for me to move on and look after the other things’. There are a lot of good players who can do well for India,” he added.
I Could Still Play All Three Formats - Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma said that his decision to retire from the T20I format was not related to his form or fitness. The batter said that he has no plans of retiring from the other two formats anytime soon. Sharma added that if the mind believes the body is capable, he can meet the demands of international cricket.
“It (decision to retire from T20Is) was not because I felt anything. I just felt this was the right time. I could still play all three formats easily. That’s why I say fitness is in your mind, how you train your mind.”
“I believe everything is in the mind. I am a person who has a lot of self-belief because I know that I can control my mind when I have to. Sometimes it’s not easy. I know most of the time I can do that. If you tell your body that you are young, you can do this, you can do that, (then) of course you can,” Rohit concluded.
After Rohit Sharma stepped down from T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav was appointed as the new captain. Suryakumar led the team to a 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka in his first assignment as permanent T20I skipper. The Indian team is aiming to build a core side for the T20 World Cup 2026.
Also read: Nicholas Pooran breaks Mohammad Rizwan's all-time record to become greatest T20 batter
