Opening bowlers can breathe a sigh of relief after Rohit Sharma, the ever-stylish “Hitman” of Indian cricket, has announced his retirement from Test cricket. Known for his crisp timing, nonchalant sixes, and effortless batting swagger, Rohit leaves the red-ball game with a bag full of records and even more memories.
He made his Test debut in 2013 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata against West Indies, batting at number 6 and scoring an impressive 177 runs. This was a statement of what was to come against a quality attack, instantly showing he was not just a white-ball merchant and had the patience and panache for the long game too.
He was moved up the order in 2019 to open the batting for India’s Test series against South Africa, and in the first test scored 176 runs in the first innings and 127 in the second innings becoming the first player to hit two hundreds in their first Test match as an opening batsman. It was a showcase of effortless power and relaxed elegance against an attack which included the likes of Rabada and Philander. In doing so he also set a record for the most sixes by a player in a Test match (male) with 13, breaking the previous record of 12, set by Pakistan’s Wasim Akram in 1996.
A few months before, during India’s tour of the West Indies, Rohit also became the first player to score hundreds in all three formats of a single bilateral tour (T20I, ODI, and Test) – a fitting testament to his multi-format domination.
