Rohit Sharma opens up on Test cricket for the first time since retirement, reveals father reaction to sudden exit

On May 7, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket, just over a month before the highly anticipated series against England. This decision left many fans disheartened, as they bid farewell to one of the greatest modern-day cricketers and the then-captain of the Test team. Recently, Rohit shared insights into his father's reaction to this significant milestone in his career.

During an event marking the launch of Cheteshwar Pujara's wife's book, 'The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife: An Unusual Story', Rohit revealed that his father, Gurunath Sharma, has always been a staunch admirer of Test cricket, expressing a clear preference for the traditional format over contemporary white-ball cricket. Notably, Gurunath displayed little enthusiasm when Rohit set a world record with his remarkable innings of 264, the highest individual score in One Day Internationals (ODIs).

In contrast, Rohit noted that whenever he scored even a modest 30 or 40 runs in Test matches, his father would engage him in detailed discussions, brimming with excitement about his performance. 

"My father worked in a transport company. Like I said, what my mom did, my father was very much involved in sacrificing things so that we could have our lives. But my father always, since day one, has always been a fan of Test cricket. He doesn't like this new-age cricket. I still remember that day I scored 264 in the ODI. He was like, okay, well played. Well done. There was no excitement from him. It's important to go out there and all that," Rohit said at the launch.

"But even if I used to get good 30s or 40s or 50s or 60s, in Test cricket used to talk to me about it in detail. So that's the kind of love he had for the game. And he's obviously seen you go up the ranks," he added.

Rohit shared that his father felt a bit let down when he first announced his retirement from Test Cricket. But in the end, he was really happy about it.

"My father has seen me playing a lot of cricket with the red ball, obviously. So he appreciates red ball cricket a lot. And then, obviously, he was a little disappointed when I announced my retirement. But was happy as well at the same time. But, yeah, that's my father. And he has obviously played a huge role in wherever I am today. Without their help, it never would have been possible," he added.

Also read| 'Why couldn't you wait 1-2 days? Why such a hurry?' After Gautam Gambhir, ex-KKR star slams RCB for Bengaluru stampede tragedy