‘I Enjoyed Playing’: Rohit Sharma’s Two Cents On Why He Retired From T20Is

The Indian team captain Rohit Sharma spoke about his T20I retirement which he announced post winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The Mumbai-based batter was speaking on Jitendra Chouksey's YouTube channel on Saturday.

As per Rohit, he is close to taking part in 500 matches for India in international cricket and this is a rare sight as most of the players have not reached this feat. 

"To play for 17 years and to play nearly. I am close to 500 games now for India internationally," Rohit said. 

"Five hundred games, not a lot of cricketers globally have played. To have that longevity, there has to be something about your routine. How you manage your fitness, how you manage your mind, and how you train yourself. And how do you get ready for the game, most importantly. At the end of the day, our job is to be 100 percent ready for the game and perform to win games. And then, if you go backwards then, in that preparation comes fitness," Rohit said.

The Indian skipper said that he bid adieu to the shortest format of the game because it was the right time as under his leadership, the Men in Blue clinched the T20 World Cup title. 

"The only reason I retired from T20Is is because I've had my time. I enjoyed playing the format. I played for 17 years and did well. Having won the World Cup, this was the best time for me to decide that this now time for me to move on and then look after the other things. There are a lot of good players who are there, who can do well for India. I just felt it was the right time," said Rohit.

During his illustrious career, Rohit took part in 151 T20I matches where he collected  4,231 runs at an average of 32.05 with a strike rate of over 140. He smashed five tons and 32 half-centuries in his career, with the best score of 121*.