Team India captain Rohit Sharma strongly denied any notion of retiring from international cricket anytime soon despite approaching his 40s. The right-handed batter declared that he still feels good enough to play all three formats and only retired from T20Is to give chance to younger players.
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One of the best openers across formats today, the 37-year-old retired from T20Is after India broke their 11-year trophy drought by winning the T20 World Cup in June. Along with Virat Kohli, Rohit also stepped away from the format, having scored 4231 runs in 159 T20Is with five centuries under his belt.
Captain Rohit Sharma talking about his Retirement from Cricket : ️-
pic.twitter.com/U5DK6GA1Tc— ⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) September 28, 2024
Speaking on Jitendra Chouksey's podcast, Rohit reflected that he had his time in the T20Is as he played the format since 2007 and wanted to give opportunity to the youngsters, who had been knocking on the door fiercely. The veteran explained:
"No, No, No. The only reason I retired from T20I is because I have had my time, I enjoyed playing the format, won 2024 T20 WC, This was the best time for me to move on from T20I as there are lots of very good players who can do well for India. That was not because I felt anything. I just felt it's the right time and I could play all three forms easily. That's why I say fitness is in your mind, how you train your mind. I believe everything is in mind. I'm a person who has a lot of self belief and I know I can control my mind when I have to. Sometimes it's not easy, but I know most of the times I can do that."
"Five hundred games, not a lot of cricketers globally have played" – Rohit Sharma
The 37-year-old admitted that playing international cricket for 17 years is not easy and that longevity has a lot to do how a mind is trained. He elaborated:
"To play for 17 years and to play nearly…. I am close to 500 games now for India internationally. Five hundred games, not a lot of cricketers globally have played. To have that longevity, there has to be something about your routine. How you manage your fitness, how you manage your mind and how you train yourself. And how do you get ready for the game, most importantly."
The opening batter is currently playing in the home Test series against Bangladesh.