‘Rohit Sharma was dropped from last Test, but then…’: Ex-India manager breaks silence on BCCI rift rumours

Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test saw the BCCI appoint Shubman Gill as the new red-ball captain. Gill has already begun his tenure as Test skipper, and is in action in the ongoing India vs England series. Meanwhile, Rohit and Virat Kohli’s departure from the longest format is also witnessing a new generation of cricketers take over the mantle.

There were also reports and speculation that Rohit was pressurised to quite Test cricket by the BCCI. There has been no concrete evidence regarding that. Jaydev Shah, who was the Indian team’s manager during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy lifted the lid on Rohit’s retirement and revealed that he wasn’t forced out of Test cricket.

Jaydev Shah on Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement

Speaking on a podcast, he said, “He had a baby, he came back and he couldn’t make runs.”

“Okay, he was out of form. He was dropped from the last Test, but then he won the Champions Trophy. I think he thought it was time for him to play white ball more than red ball and give another cricketer a chance. I think the board was looking at things like, we have to prepare our team for the next championship. That’s a two-year cycle so it’s better if new players get set and get there.”

Rohit’s announcement came just weeks before India’s selection for the England series. “And it didn’t seem like Rohit could take it for two more years. He also had his injury, he didn’t play a couple of IPL matches because of that either. I think that’s what he thought, and left for the team to grow and build nicely in the new cycle. Such big decisions are taken by big people like Rohit themselves,” Shah added.

Having recently led India to Champions Trophy glory, Rohit still remains in action in ODI cricket. He announced his retirement from T20Is after leading India to the T20 World Cup title.