Rohit Sharma’s future as a player as well as the captain of the Indian team will depend a lot on the outcome of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy final, according to reports.
Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Team India have qualified for the final of the tournament and will be facing New Zealand in the title decider on Sunday (March 9). India have already defeated New Zealand once in the tournament and will be fancying their chances of doing a double on the Black Caps.
Things could go downhill for Rohit Sharma if he fails to lead India to a victory in the final. According to a report in Dainik Jagran, the India captain may retire from international cricket if India fail to beat New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final. The report stated that there is still no clarity over the veteran batsman’s future if India go on to clinch the Champions Trophy.
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Rohit Sharma to leave captaincy
The report further stated that no matter what happens, the decision to retire from international cricket will solely be Rohit Sharma’s. It also stated that even if India win the Champions Trophy, the selectors might decide to relieve the opening batsman of captaincy duties.
However, Rohit Sharma is likely to remain a part of the ODI team till the 2027 World Cup although only as a batsman. Such a decision will be beneficial for all the parties. If Rohit decides to step down as the captain, the selectors can build a new roadmap for the Indian team with a new leader. At the same time, Rohit will also be able to continue playing for as long as he wants.
“Leaving the limelight of cricket is never easy. Ultimately, selecting or dropping a player remains the selectors’ decision,” a source told the news outlet.
Rohit’s future as the captain of the Indian team has been under the scanner for quite some time now. The star batsman retired from T20Is last year after guiding the team to glory in the T20 World Cup.
However, things have not gone well for him after that victory. Under his captaincy, India lost the ODI series in Sri Lanka before suffering a humiliating 3-0 whitewash in the home Test series against New Zealand. India also the Test series in Australia and failed to qualify for the WTC final. There have been calls from several quarters to remove Rohit as the Test captain too ahead of the new WTC cycle.
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