Veteran Indian batter Rohit Sharma shared that his father, Gurunath, had mixed emotions about his decision to retire from Test cricket last month. While he was happy for Rohit, he also felt “a little disappointed” due to his deep fondness for red-ball cricket.
Rohit noted that his father has always preferred the traditional format over ODIs and T20s, and his passion for Tests grew stronger as he watched Rohit succeed at the highest level. Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket in early May through an Instagram story.
The announcement came just hours after reports surfaced suggesting that BCCI selectors were planning to remove him as Test captain ahead of the five-match series against England this summer.
“At the launch of Cheteshwar Pujara’s wife Puja Pujara’s book ‘The Diary of a Cricketer’s Wife’ in Mumbai, Rohit said, ‘My father has obviously watched me play a lot of red-ball cricket.’”
“So he appreciates red ball cricket a lot. And then, obviously, he was a little disappointed when I announced my retirement. But was happy as well at the same time. But, yeah, that’s my father. And he has obviously played a huge role in wherever I am today. Without their help, it never would have been possible,” he added.
Rohit Reveals Father Valued His Test Cameos More Than Record-Breaking ODI 264
Rohit Sharma shared that his father was more pleased with his brief appearances in Test matches than even his record-breaking 264-run innings in an ODI against Sri Lanka in November 2014.
“My father worked in a transport company. Like I said, what my mom did, my father was very much involved in sacrificing things so that we could have our life. But my father always, since day one, has been a fan of Test cricket. He doesn’t like this new-age cricket. I still remember that day I scored 264 in the ODI.”
“He was like, okay, well played. Well done. There was no excitement from him. It’s important to go out there and all that. But even if I used to get good 30s or 40s or 50s or 60s, in Test cricket used to talk to me about it in detail. So that’s the kind of love he had for the game,” he added.
Rohit ended his Test career with 4,301 runs from 67 matches. His family, moved to tears, attended the grand ceremony on May 17 when a stand at Wankhede Stadium was named in his honor.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.