Rohit Sharma has refuted any rumours of his retiring anytime soon, saying he wants to continue for “a few more years” during which he hopes to win another World Cup.
India’s all-format skipper Rohit will turn 37 later this month and was asked about his plans after quitting the sport by musician Ed Sheeran on the talk show Breakfast With Champions. After Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit as skipper of the Mumbai Indians franchise ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League, reports were rife that the latter could be looking to hang up his boots in the near future, a suggestion that Rohit shot down.
“I’m still playing well at this point in time, so I’m thinking I’m going to continue for a few more years and then, I don’t know. I really want to win that [the World Cup], I really want to win that World Cup. The World Test Championship is happening in Lord’s in 2025 as well, hopefully we make it there in the finals.”
India are currently on top of the WTC points table, with a PCT (Points Percentage System) of 68.51, winning six of the nine games in the ongoing Championship cycle, although they have a tough upcoming tour of Australia in December, which will largely decide their fate in the two-year event.
India reached the finals of both the first two editions of the World Test Championship but failed to win either showpiece fixture.
Rohit also expressed his desire to win a white-ball World Cup after India failed to do so on home soil last year. India won 10 games in a row in the ODI World Cup only to succumb in the final to Australia. He has now been confirmed as skipper for the T20 World Cup, which will begin in June. Rohit previously won the T20 World Cup as a player in 2007, which is also India’s only title in the format.
Sheeran also quizzed Rohit about whether he would be keen to take up coaching after retiring, to which he said, “I haven’t really thought about it but I don’t know where life takes you.”
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