Rohit Sharma on players retirement u-turn: Rohit Sharma's dream was to lead India to a World Cup victory under his captaincy. Although the 'Men in Blue' lost to Australia in the final of ODI World Cup 2023, Rohit's captaincy and fearless batting were widely praised.
The seasoned opener continued his impressive run into the T20 World Cup 2024, where he led India to historic win over South Africa, securing the T20 World Cup title for the second time in 17 years. Following this triumph, Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is.
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Months after announcing his retirement from T20Is, Rohit Sharma made a notable statement regarding his decision. He subtly criticized several players who had announced their retirement, only to later reverse their decisions and return.
"Retirement has become a joke these days in world cricket, people announce retirement but then return to play just like that. Yes, it hasn't happened in India a lot. However, I have been observing players from other countries. They announce retirement but then return and play cricket. You don't get to understand whether someone has retired or not," said Rohit in an interaction with Jio Cinema.
"I am very clear. That was it. It was the perfect time for me to say goodbye to the format. I started playing this format for India, I made my debut in ODIs, but straightaway went on to play T20 World Cup in 2007. We won that. I have now won another World Cup," Rohit added.
Rohit Sharma's remarks may subtly target Pakistan, where it's common for retired cricketers to make a return. Recently, in the T20 World Cup 2024, Mohammad Aamir and Imad Wasim came out of retirement to play.