Rohit Sharma has abruptly ended his Test career on Wednesday evening. There was no formal press conference and no grand farewell.
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It was just an Instagram story that dropped without warning during the ongoing IPL season. Along with the fans, the selectors were also caught off guard.
The announcement came just a day after a high-profile event at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai where legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar were honoured. Rohit was missing from the function due to Mumbai Indians' match against Gujarat Titans.
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But no one expected that within 24 hours, he would step away from Test cricket entirely.
Did Rohit Sharma inform the BCCI of his Test retirement before going public?
According to a Cricbuzz report, Rohit first informed the BCCI top brass of his decision via email before making it public. The contents of that email have not been shared but its timing appears to have taken even the closest stakeholders by surprise.
Shortly after Rohit’s Instagram post, chief selector Ajit Agarkar was spotted on a phone call at the Cricket Club of India. Cricbuzz suggests the call may have been related to the development but whether it involved Rohit directly remains unclear.
What's certain is that the selectors were not expecting this. This Test retirement comes just weeks before India’s five-match series in England, scheduled for June-July.
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Although there had been quiet speculation that the selectors might move on from Rohit as Test captain, there was no official communication to that effect. A meeting on Tuesday had reportedly discussed the tour but whether Rohit’s role came up is not known.
Is there more to Rohit Sharma's exit than meets the eye?
Some reports hint at a growing distance between Rohit and the team’s management. Batting coach Abhishek Nayar -- considered close to Rohit -- was recently let go, and the captain later praised Nayar publicly on Instagram.
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Whether that had any bearing on his Test retirement is anyone’s guess. Rohit has made it clear he remains committed to ODIs and is expected to lead India into the 2027 World Cup.