By Zainab Shafiq 
With the T20 World Cup 2024 looming on the horizon, speculation arises regarding Rohit Sharma’s retirement plans, especially as this tournament may mark his final appearance. Currently engaged in IPL 2024, Rohit assumes a different role, not as captain, as Hardik Pandya was appointed skipper ahead of the season.
Amidst preparations for the World Cup, Rohit maintains his focus on playing top-notch cricket. In the upcoming T20 World Cup, slated to commence on June 1 in the USA and West Indies, Rohit is anticipated to open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, a strategic move to bolster India’s batting lineup.
Despite rumors swirling about his potential retirement, Rohit confirmed that he has no immediate plans to step away from the game. During a recent appearance on a show, Rohit expressed his desire to continue playing cricket for a few more years, aiming to clinch victory in the World Cup and potentially compete in the ICC World Test Championship final in 2025.
“I haven’t really thought about retirement. But I don’t know where life takes you. I am still playing well at this point in time — so I am thinking I am going to continue for a few more years and then, I don’t know. I really want to win the World Cup and there is a WTC final in 2025, hopefully India makes it,” said Rohit on a show.
“50-over World Cup for me is the actual World Cup. We’ve grown up watching that World Cup. More importantly, it was happening in India in front of our home crowd. We played so well up until that final. When we won the semi-finals, I thought, now we’re just a step away. We’re doing all the things right.”
Reflecting on past World Cup disappointments, particularly the 50-over format, Rohit recalled the heartbreak of India’s loss in the final to Australia despite an impeccable run in the tournament’s group stage. While Rohit led the team admirably throughout the tournament, India’s unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end in the final.
“What’s the one thing that can make us lose the World Cup? Not a single thing came to my mind. Because I thought we ticked all the boxes, we were playing good cricket. Confidence was there,” he added.
“We were all supposed to have one bad day and that I guess that was our bad day. Don’t think we played bad cricket in that final, certain things didn’t go our way. But Australia were slightly better than us.”
As retirement rumors persist, questions linger about Rohit’s future in the shortest format and the possibility of focusing solely on long-format cricket, including Tests and ODIs. As fans await further updates, Rohit Sharma’s illustrious career trajectory continues to captivate cricket enthusiasts worldwide.
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