Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket on Wednesday, June 7. He made the decision just weeks before India's squad for the England tour was to be announced.
Rohit was in line to lead the Indian team in England. However, after losses to New Zealand and Australia in Test matches under him, the management was keen on a replacement since the end of the Australia series.
Now, Shubman Gill has emerged as the top contender to replace Rohit Sharma as the next Test captain. The management is not keen on giving Jasprit Bumrah the captaincy to manage his workload. Rohit led India in 24 Test matches, winning 12, losing nine, and drawing 3 games. He will continue to play in ODI cricket and lead the side. He ended his Test captaincy stint with a 50 percent win record.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma reveals emotional talk with parents after Wankhede Stadium honour
Advertisement
Now, former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has broken his silence on Rohit's Test retirement. He acknowledged Rohit's contribution to Indian cricket, especially him leading the team to two ICC titles in the last two years.
"He is a great player for India, but someone has to leave the game. My best wishes to him. He had a good career, he will play One Day for India and IPL... BCCI's work is to support the player. When I was part of BCCI, we thought he would be a great captain for India and so he was. We won World Cup, Champion's trophy, Test Cricket under him," Ganguly told ANI.
Several former and current Indian cricketers wished Rohit Sharma well on his Test retirement. He retired as India's 16th highest scorer in Test cricket with 4,301 runs with an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries.
With him now retired, India will have to look at a new opening partner for Yashasvi Jaiswal in the England Test series. Gill can promote himself as the opener as well as he is the favorite to replace Rohit as captain.
