"Rohit Sharma will probably get a send-off there" - Robin Uthappa addresses India captain’s retirement talks during BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Robin Uthappa believes that Team India's Test and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma won't retire from red-ball cricket after the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series against Australia. There was speculation about the veteran opener's retirement after he opted out of the fifth and final Test of the Australia tour due to poor form.

However, Uthappa emphasized that this doesn't necessarily mean the end of the road for Sharma. He opined that the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning skipper deserved a proper farewell.

The former India batter suggested that India's five-match away Test series against England later this year could be Sharma's swansong red-ball tour. In a video shared on his Instagram handle, Uthappa said:

"People have [been] contemplating or speculating, 'Will it be his last Test match? Will he not play Test cricket again?' In my opinion, I don't think so. I think there's six months before the next Test series, Rohit will probably get a send-off there. He is a World Cup-winning captain.

"With the intensities and the losses of this tournament, people are looking at it in a negative light. Yes, he has had a very lean year in Test cricket but he has been a consistent performer in other formats of the game and I think that legends of the game deserve a decent send-off," he added.

Rohit Sharma has come under the scanner following a string of poor performances. The right-handed batter had a dismal BGT 2024-25 series, mustering just 31 runs across five innings at an average of 6.20.

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"I am not thinking much of the future" - Rohit Sharma after opting out of BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Speaking to Star Sports on Day 2 of the ongoing BGT 2024-2 5th Test, Rohit Sharma opened up on his absence from India's playing XI for the must-win fixture. He revealed that he had opted out of the encounter due to his failures with the bat.

However, Rohit Sharma clarified that he hadn't thought about retirement yet and he did what he felt was best for the team. He said:

"I stood down, that's what I will say. There are fifty words that'll be thrown around. The chat that I had with the coach and the selectors was simple - runs weren't coming off my bat, I wasn't in form and it was a must-win match. I felt I had to inform the coach and the selectors and this was my decision. They told me you know your game best.

"I am not thinking much of the future. At this point, this is what the team required. I took this call after coming here (not in Melbourne). We had only three days after the last Test and one of them was New Year's. I didn't want to tell the coach and selectors on that day. But it was important for me."

Meanwhile, India must win the BGT 2024-25 fifth Test to draw the series 2-2 and retain the coveted trophy. Australia have a 2-1 lead over the visitors in the five-match rubber.