‘Who wouldn’t miss a player like him?’- Virender Sehwag on Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket

Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma(Source: thesportstak/hindustantimes)

The cricketing world got a huge surprise as legendary opener Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket, a month before the five-match Test series against England. The fans and experts have also shared their views on the news regarding the two-time WTC finalist’s decision.

Legendary India Test opener and former teammate Virender Sehwag has also talked about the decision taken by Rohit and also brought up the possible reasons behind him taking the call to retire from the red-ball format. The Nawab of Najafgarh, while speaking on Cricbuzz, mentioned that the selectors might have given him some options which could have led to these surprising turn of events since the ‘Hitman’ also mentioned during the series in Australia that he was not planning to retire from the format.

“It’s amazing, because I had also heard those things-like how he was preparing for the England tour, or during the Australia tour when he didn’t play the last Test match, he was saying, ‘I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here. Don’t pretend like I’ve retired’”, Sehwag spoke exclusively on Cricbuzz.

“But what might have happened during this time? What happened is probably this: when the selectors made their decision-maybe they thought, ‘We won’t announce Rohit Sharma as the Test captain’, or perhaps, ‘We won’t even take him as a player’ for the England tour. I’m sure the selectors would have spoken to him, told him what they were thinking, and then offered him some options. That’s why, before the team was announced-before anything else was made public-Rohit Sharma announced his retirement. That’s a good sign”, the 46-year-old legend added.

Who wouldn’t miss a player like Rohit Sharma?: Virender Sehwag 

Sehwag, in the segment, went on to praise Rohit for entertaining the cricketing world in all three formats of the game and how much the fans enjoyed watching him bat throughout the years. Though Sehwag also mentioned that he could have gone on to play 100 Tests, he claimed that the former India Test skipper has no regrets and thanked him for his service to Indian cricket.

“But who wouldn’t miss a player like Rohit Sharma? Whether it’s Test cricket, ODI cricket, or T20 cricket, he always provided full entertainment. Fans enjoyed watching his batting, and the records he’s made are outstanding,” Sehwag said.

“Yes, there’s always that feeling-he could have played a bit longer. He could have reached 100 Test matches, and only a few elite players have achieved that milestone. But he’s made his decision, and that’s fine. His career has been absolutely brilliant. He has no regrets. He started in the middle order and retired as an opener. His achievements are massive. So I’d say-thank you, Rohit, for your service, and all the best for the future,” the former Test opener concluded.

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