Having led India to a breathtaking T20 World Cup victory in Barbados, Rohit Sharma has now set his sights on cricket's holy grail 50-over trophy, the ODI World Cup. The 38-year-old, who announced his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday, gave a clear indication of his goals for the forthcoming years in a recent interview.
Rohit, who had already retired from T20 Internationals following India's 2023 World Cup triumph in that competition, would now only lead the national side in ODIs.
In a tearful interview with journalist Vimal Kumar, Rohit exposed the hurt of the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Despite India's relentless march to the pinnacle clash and a dominating show during the tournament, they had a bitter loss at the hands of Australia in the final—a gut-wrenching disappointment still evident in Rohit's posture.
With his Test and T20I chapters concluded, the Indian skipper now has one major task left on the global arena—leading India in the 2027 ODI World Cup, to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
"Zehem mein bilkul hai (on playing ODI World Cup 2027). Bilkul [It's definitely on my mind. Absolutely]," Rohit asserted, leaving his heart and mind at it.
He added with a smile, "Acha rahega agar aisa hua to (on adding the ODI World Cup to his cabinet) [It would be great if that happens]."
Rohit concludes his Test career as one of India's most reliable performers in the latter half of his career, having accumulated 4,301 runs in 67 games. His red-ball legacy includes 12 centuries and 18 fifties, and an average of 40.57.
Announcing on Twitter, Rohit tweeted: "Hello, friends. I would just like to inform that I am retiring from Test cricket. It's been an absolute honor to play in whites for my country."
Ensuring fans his Indian colors path is not quite over yet, he said: "Thank you for all the love and admiration over the years. I will keep representing India in the ODI format."
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