Rohit Sharma has said that his father, Gurunath Sharma, was extremely unhappy with his decision to call it quits from Test cricket. The 38-year-old surprised everyone by announcing Test retirement just ahead of India's five-match Test series against England. Speaking for the first time after hanging his boots in the longest format, the right-hand batter stated that his father was one of his biggest admirers of the longest and toughest format of the game, and does not like new-age cricket.
Rohit's decision to announce retirement from Tests must have been due to his poor form in 2024. In his last Test series Down Under, he averaged just 7, which was the lowest for a specialist batter for both teams combined.
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“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 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 of Cheteshwar Pujara's wife Puja Pujara's book 'The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife' in Mumbai.
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“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.
'My father is a fan of Test cricket': Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma ended his Test career with 67 Tests to his name, scoring 4301 runs at an average of 40.57. The former Test captain bloomed when he was recalled in the longest format in 2019. The veteran was asked to open, and he thrived in the role, scoring more than five Test centuries in three years from 2019 to 2022. Later on, his form dipped massively when he got Test captaincy.
"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.
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“My father has seen me playing a lot of cricket with 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.
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Rohit is now active only in the ODI format, as he aims to fulfill his long-cherished dream of winning the ODI World Cup, which he came so close to achieving in 2023. The next ODI World Cup will be played in South Africa and Zimbabwe in 2027.
