‘I am Not interested…?’: Ex-BCCI selector reveals Rohit Sharma’s honest opinion on Test cricket

Rohit Sharma- former Indian test captain and one of the most fan-favorite cricketers- ended his red-ball career in a shocking way as he announced this decision of quitting just a short while before India’s squad for England tour (Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy) was to be picked. Countless people and experts believe that Rohit had at least one more series in him before he would end his time as a player in whites.

One of the people who believed Rohit Sharma had a little bit Test cricket remaining in him is former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selector Jatin Paranjpe, who recalled about one of his conversation with Rohit where he stated his love for the format.

“I remember he was not playing Test cricket for India. And we had this conversation, and he said, ‘I started playing cricket with a red ball, Jatin. How can you say that I am not interested in Test cricket?’ I got the message, and I was hoping that that was what he would say,” Paranjpe said on ‘A Century of Stories’ podcast with Cyrus Broacha.

Rohit Sharma was not performing well in his final times of Test cricket, failing to perform till his last outing in the red-ball format- as he had produced disappointing scores in India’s last outing against Australia (Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25). Rohit’s 11-year long career came to an end with his decision to retire. In these 11 years of game, he played 67 red-ball matches, leading the team in 23 of them.