Rohit Sharma discloses reasons behind T20I retirement
What's the story
Rohit Sharma, the celebrated Indian cricket team captain, recently shed light on his decision to retire from T20 International cricket.
This announcement came shortly after he successfully led India to win the 2024 T20 World Cup title.
Sharma's retirement marked the end of an illustrious career in the shortest format of cricket, which began back in 2007.
Career highlights
Sharma's remarkable T20I career and retirement
Sharma boasts the record of being the only Indian to play in every T20 World Cup since his debut.
He wrapped up his T20I journey by leading India to glory in the 2024 tournament.
Along with Sharma, cricket legends Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have also called it quits from this format.
Suryakumar Yadav has been named India's new T20I skipper.
Retirement rationale
Sharma's retirement decision: A strategic move
In a recent podcast, Sharma opened up about why he decided to hang up his T20I boots.
He said, "The only reason I retired from T20Is is because I have had my time, I enjoyed playing the format, I played for 17 years."
He also mentioned that winning the 2024 World Cup was the perfect moment to step aside and shift focus to other things in his life.
Succession plan
Sharma's faith in upcoming players
Sharma is all about trusting the younger folks. He said, "There are a lot of good players who can do well for India."
While he felt he could keep playing all three formats, he decided to hang up his T20I boots to make way for the new talent.
It must be noted that many new comers in the Indian team like Dhruv Jurel and Rinku Singh have time and again praised Sharma's leadership style.
Mental strength
Sharma's mindset and self-belief
Sharma also stressed how crucial mental strength is when making decisions.
He said, "I believe everything is in the mind." He also mentioned having a ton of self-belief because he knows he can reign in his mind when the situation calls for it.
This mental toughness was key to his choice to hang up his boots from T20I cricket.