Rohit forced to quit T20I cricket? Speculation starts on Gambhir’s role

India captain Rohit Sharma and veterans Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20 cricket soon after the Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup final on Saturday. However, a statement made by Rohit Sharma after the win has gone viral on social media, with the Indian captain saying that he didn’t think he would retire from T20 cricket after the World Cup.

Speaking to the media after the match, Rohit said, “I’ve enjoyed it since the time I started playing this format. No better time to say goodbye to this format. I’ve loved every moment of this. This is what I wanted – I wanted to win the cup”

“I didn’t think that I would retire from T20Is, but the situation was such… I thought it was the perfect situation for me. Nothing better than winning the cup and saying goodbye,” Indian skipper added

Moreover, with Gautam Gambhir reportedly set to take over from Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach, speculation was rife as to whether this was the ‘situation’ Rohit was referring to.

A report in the Navbharat Times recently suggested that Gambhir had laid down five conditions for the BCCI to accept the role of India coach, ranging from routine matters such as control over the selection of the team and support staff to some controversial points such as the power to drop senior players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja from the team if they don’t perform in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.

Gautam Gambhir congratulates Rohit and Virat:

Gautam Gambhir on Sunday lauded Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for finishing off their T20 career in style. Gambhir said that both Rohit and Virat are great players and have done a lot for Indian cricket.

“What better than finishing off the T20 career with a World Cup win. They are both great players and have done so much for Indian cricket. I want to congratulate them and wish them all the best. They will play One Day and Test cricket. I am sure they are going to keep contributing to the success of the country and team,” Gambhir said.