3 Reasons why Rohit Sharma should retire from ODIs

Rohit Sharma, Indian captain, became the first Men in Blue captain to win back-to-back ICC Trophies as India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai. India defeated New Zealand in the final of the tournament in Dubai by 4 wickets.

This was India’s third ICC Champions Trophy win after 2002 (shared with Sri Lanka) and 2013 under MS Dhoni in England.

New Zealand had batted first after winning the toss and scored 251/7 with Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell scoring half-centuries and Rachin Ravindra making 39 runs. For India, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy took 2 wickets each.

In response, India got a flying start thanks to 76 by Rohit Sharma, but there were some hiccups after the powerplay overs as Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma got out in succession.

But then Shreyas Iyer (48), Axar Patel (29), and KL Rahul (34*) cleaned off the remaining runs as India became Champions Trophy 2025 winners in Dubai.

Rohit Sharma was named the Player of the Final, and though there were rumors of his retirement after the title win, the 37-year-old confirmed in the post-match press conference that he was not retiring from the format and was going to play.

However, in this article, we will discuss three very compelling reasons for Rohit Sharma to say goodbye to the ODI format and retire from it gloriously.

Here are the 3 reasons why Rohit Sharma should retire from ODIs:

1. Rohit Sharma’s indifferent form

While Rohit Sharma has been a trailblazer in ODIs since the 2022 year, his form has been indifferent. He has scored 302 runs in the 2024-25 season in 8 ODIs. He has averaged 37.75 with a strike rate of 108.24. He has hit 100 and 150 in ODIs in this time frame.

Overall, Rohit Sharma has 11168 runs in 273 ODI matches with 32 centuries and 58 fifties at an average of 48.76 and a strike rate of 92.80. However, despite having such great numbers, Rohit Sharma has focused on intent in the powerplay in ODIs and goes for the bowling attack to put them under pressure.

More often than not, Rohit Sharma gets out in the 20s or 30s in quick time, setting a platform for the rest of the batters. However, this has caused his spot in the playing XI to be in question, given that Rohit, being senior, is supposed to take the pressure and guide the youngsters along.

2. Age factor

Rohit Sharma is 37 years and 314 days old and will turn 38 in April. The 2027 World Cup is still 2 years away, and he will be 40 years old by that time. Since Rohit Sharma confirmed that he was not retiring from ODIs, the next time India plays 50-over internationals will be on a tour of Bangladesh in August. After that, South Africa will travel to India and will play 3 ODIs apart from Tests and T20Is.

Rohit Sharma’s Test career is also in turmoil, given his poor performance against New Zealand and Australia last year, and if he doesn’t play tests anymore, this leaves him with just one format to play for India. Though he is fit as a fiddle, age has slowed his reflexes, and no matter how long Rohit wants to play in the 2027 World Cup, it will be better for him to go out on a high, instead of being forced out.

3. Blocking newer and younger talents’ spot

Rohit Sharma’s selfish decision of continuing to play ODIs will have an adverse effect on the youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma, among others, who are waiting for their chances in the ODI format.

Jaiswal recently made his ODI debut against England and could only play one game, as Rohit Sharma had to be accommodated along with Shubman Gill, the captain in waiting. This want of playing in the 2027 World Cup by Rohit Sharma will rob India of chances to have a stable opening partnership going into the ICC event in South Africa. India will only play a handful of ODIs till the World Cup, and if Rohit Sharma plays a maximum of them and then for some reason announces retirement, India will be left to fit in Jaiswal or Abhishek in his place at the last moment.

These reasons mentioned above should be compelling enough for Rohit Sharma to keep the team’s requirements over his own wants and retire from ODIs.

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