Rohit Sharma announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday evening, shortly after reports of his sacking as India's Test captain surfaced.
The 38-year-old confirmed via a social media post that he will continue to play in the ODI format for India.
"Hello everyone I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. It's been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format," Rohit wrote.
The announcement comes just hours after The Indian Express, in an exclusive report said that the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI senior selection committee had decided to relieve Rohit of his Test captaincy duties ahead of India's upcoming five-match Test series in England, beginning June 20 at Headingley.
With this sudden development, the Indian team now finds itself in urgent need of appointing a new Test captain.
Jasprit Bumrah, the current vice-captain, who led the team in the first and last Tests during the Australia tour in Rohit’s absence, is a likely contender.
Rohit's decision also caps a turbulent season in red-ball cricket marked by a series of underwhelming performances.
Despite a career that featured notable highs, particularly after being promoted as opener in 2019, Rohit struggled for consistency, especially overseas.
He retires with 4301 runs in 67 Tests at an average of 40.57, with 12 hundreds and 18 fifties.
Rohit took over the Test captaincy from Virat Kohli in 2022 and led India in 24 Tests, ending with a 12-9 win-loss record.
His leadership came under scrutiny after back-to-back series defeats.
India were swept 3-0 by New Zealand at home — their first home series defeat in 12 years — and suffered a 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
His form with the bat also nosedived, managing just one fifty in eight Tests across the Australia tour, where he averaged a dismal 10.93.
In the preceding home series against New Zealand, Rohit fared little better, averaging only 15.16 across three Tests.
His form hit rock bottom during the Australia series, with his average dipping to just 6.20 over five innings.
Rohit missed the first Test of that series due to the birth of his child and stood down for the final match in Sydney, citing poor form.
At the time, he insisted it was not a retirement decision, but a break to reset.
Speaking to Star Sports during the series, Rohit said, "I sat out of this match because runs are not coming off my bat. There is no guarantee runs won't come five or two months down the line. I have seen a lot in cricket that life changes every second, every minute, every day."
Rohit’s red-ball journey was a tale of unfulfilled early promise.
Initially set to debut in 2010 against South Africa in Nagpur, a freak injury moments before the toss delayed his Test entry by three years.
He finally debuted in 2013 against West Indies in Kolkata, scoring a century, and followed it up with another in Mumbai.
Between 2013 and 2019, he managed just one more Test century.
A revival came in 2019 when he was promoted to open the innings against South Africa, scoring two centuries and a career-best 212 in Ranchi.
Further success followed in 2021, with standout knocks against England — a gritty 161 in Chennai and a classy 127 at The Oval.
Rohit also led India to a 4-1 series win against England, hitting two more centuries in the process.
By the start of the 2024-25 season, Rohit averaged 45.46 in Tests, but a string of poor outings saw it drop by nearly four points.
He crossed fifty just once in his final 15 Test innings.
Rohit had earlier retired from T20 Internationals after leading India to a title-winning campaign in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Tributes poured in on social media following his announcement, marking the end of a rollercoaster red-ball career for one of India's most decorated cricketers.