Published: Oct 24, 2025, 04:23 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 24, 2025, 04:31 PM (IST)
Rohit Sharma sent a strong message to his detractors on Thursday with a valiant 73-run knock in the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval, even though India suffered defeat against Australia. Despite the loss, Rohit’s innings showed that he still has plenty of cricket left in him. The knock has strengthened his case to coninue in the format, but a purported “retirement remark” by India head coach Gautam Gambhir has sparked a social media buzz.
In the Adelaide ODI, Rohit led India’s scoring with 73 runs, guiding the team to 264/9 alongside Shreyas Iyer’s contribution. After the game, Rohit was reportedly informed about the matter by Gambhir while leaving the venue. “Rohit, sabko lag rha tha ki aaj farewell match thha, ek photo to lagaa do” (Rohit, everyone thought today was your farewell match, at least post a photo).
Seeing the India head coach joke around the topic of Rohit’s retirement, the comment came as a sigh of relief for the veteran batter’s fans.
Abhishek Nayar on Rohit Sharma’s stellar performance
Abhishek Nayar, former assistant coach of India, who had worked with Rohit for several months before the Australia series, was thrilled to see him deliver a valiant performance under extreme pressure.
“As a player, you might forget some of your big hundreds or double centuries, but there are certain knocks that stay with you, especially the ones where you’ve had to fight hard. Rohit Sharma may not remember this innings for the runs he scored, but knowing him personally, he’ll take great satisfaction from it. As a batter, when you make runs in tough conditions, it gives you a different kind of joy, much like a bowler getting wickets on a flat pitch,” Nayar said on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’.
“Rohit might be disappointed for not converting it into a big score, but deep down, he’ll know he worked hard for every run today. His resilience stood out. That’s what impressed me the most about this Indian team today: their resilience. Even when it looked like Australia would cruise to victory, they kept fighting. And Rohit embodied that spirit. Despite being constantly tested, whenever he got a loose delivery, he made the most of it. That intent, combined with grit, defined his innings.”
