From an unsteady debut to a dignified farewell — the Test career of a modern-day maestro
Indian cricket witnessed the completion of a chapter on May 7, 2025. Rohit Sharma, the elegant right-hand batsman who redefined day white-ball batting, quietly announced his retirement from Test cricket. It was neither an ostentatious press conference or an emotional farewell on the pitch — it was Rohit, calm, measured, and dignified.
Rohit Sharma’s Test career was decidedly longer form. It wasn’t a well-trodden path; it was marked with delays, mistakes, wondrous highs and quiet determination. If his ODI and T20 performances made him a household name across the globe, his red-ball endeavours had a cadence of their own – slower, richer, and in the end, complete.
The Debut: Rohit Sharma’s Ideal Beginning
Rohit played his first Test match against West Indies at Eden Gardens in November 2013. Not only was it Rohit’s first Test match, it was also the penultimate Test match for the master Sachin Tendulkar. While the nation tuned in for nostalgic purposes, Rohit quietly produced his own piece of history—a fluid 177 runs—as if to announce his entry into the long format. Rohit followed up with another century in the very next Test match that he played at Mumbai, Tendulkar’s farewell Test match. Two centuries in two Test matches— it felt as if Rohit was destined to play Test cricket.
But like Test cricket does, it had other ideas.
Rohit’s time in the international set-up has had a couple of different phases. Following a blistering debut series in the 2013-14 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rohit struggled to a find a permanent place in the Indian Test XI thanks to some inconsistent performances, a shaky overseas record, and the disappointingly middle-order spot that at the time didn’t quite suit his natural game. From 2013 to 2018, Rohit was only able to play 25 Tests: a backup many times, occasionally a luxury, but seldom as first-choice.
Despite performances, the chatter and noise regarding Rohit’s talent never went away. All fans and pundits recognised that he had exceptional talent – it just had never quite translated to the red-ball game. But where other players might have coiled up and disappeared or given up on their careers, Rohit waited patiently while also slightly ameliorating his game.
The Opening Gamble That Changed Everything
That moment arrived in 2019 when India made a bold gamble: Rohit Sharma, the Test cricket opener.
A bold gamble it was. The South Africa series at home became its launch pad, Rohit answered the call with twin centuries in Visakhapatnam, with an astounding 176 in the first innings and blazed with 127 in the second innings. He walked away from the series as the leading run scorer, looking like he had been opening in Tests all his life.
At that point, Rohit started finding his rhythm in the whites. The new ball, an open field to play a shot on the up, everything about opening in Test cricket suited his style of play. He displayed a composure and authority, at the top of the order, providing India with solid starts and many times shaping the outcome of large victories.
The Overseas Redemption
Rohit’s most fulfilling chapter perhaps occurred away from home, where traditionally Indian batsmen often struggle. His gritty 161 on a difficult Chennai pitch against England in 2021, his fighting 127 at The Oval later that year, along with his valuable contributions in Australia and South Africa, helped destroy the stereotype of him being a “home-track bully.”
He wasn’t just getting runs – he was making a statement. The frivolous shots and needless contributions were gone; this was a matured, evolved Rohit. He had added patience to his artistry, and defense to his elegance.
Leadership and Legacy
Rohit Sharma was appointed as India’s full-time Test captain in 2022. While he didn’t serve as captain as long as his predecessors, he had a calming kind of authority. When Rohit became captain, India was a formidable opposition regardless of whether they played at home or abroad, which I think you could attribute to creating an element of trust, supporting younger players, and an ability to grow the aggressive Test cricket legacy India had been building since the 2010s.
Rohit’s accomplishments reached another level when India progressed into the World Test Championship Final in 2023. To be fair, while India lost, there was never an issue with Rohit performing because Rohit had become the central pillar of India’s batting.
The Last Walk
On May 7, 2025, Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket at the age of 38. He didn’t have a farewell series, a big send-off; just a lovely message, a number of pictures and a barrage of tributes. Rohit didn’t play for the theatre – his bat did relentless talking and in Test cricket, it had plenty to say.
In 67 Tests, Rohit amassed over 4,301 runs at an average of just under 40 at, with 12 centuries and 18 fifties and a top score of 212, Not numbers that scream greatness, but whisper elegance and resolve – two things that defined Rohit’s Test career.
The Verdict
Rohit Sharma’s journey in Test cricket was never perfect but it was genuine. There were hurdles, comebacks, reinventions – along the way a resurgence – and finally, with the last innings he played, it ended in a sense of redemption. In the context of modern life storylines obsessed with instant gratification and perfection, he illustrated that it is never too late to evolve, sparkle, and make mark on something you truly love.
He may be finished with whites, but Rohit Sharma’s beautiful imprint on Test cricket will remain of substance. Rohit Sharma, who we once thought couldn’t find a place in Test cricket, now leaves as one of the most graceful artists of the format – and one of the purest artists of the long game.
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