Father disappointed with my Test retirement, reveals Rohit Sharma
What's the story
Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma has revealed that his father, Gurunath Sharma, was disappointed by his decision to retire from Test cricket.
The batting stalwart announced his retirement just before the crucial England tour.
In a recent interaction, he said that his father is a huge fan of Test cricket and often had long conversations with him about his performances in this format.
Father's influence
My father appreciates red ball cricket a lot: Rohit
Rohit, who has played 67 Test matches and scored 4,301 runs, said his father was disappointed but also happy with his decision.
"My father has seen me playing a lot of cricket with red ball," he said during the launch of Cheteshwar Pujara's wife Puja's book 'The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife' in Mumbai.
. "So he appreciates red ball cricket a lot. And then, obviously, he was a little disappointed when I announced my retirement."
Father's reaction
Not even excited after I scored 264 in an ODI
Rohit also recalled how his father wasn't even excited after he scored a record-breaking 264 in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2014.
This is the highest individual score in the format to date.
"Since day one, has been a fan of Test cricket. He doesn't like this new-age cricket," Rohit said.
"I still remember that day I scored 264 in the ODI. He was like, okay, well played. Well done."
Career journey
Rohit credits his father for his cricketing journey
Rohit also credited his father for playing a major role in his cricketing journey.
"You play in school cricket. Then you play U19, the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Irani Trophy, and India A. And I've done all of that," he said.
"So he has seen my journey through that. And through this, I've made it to the Indian team."
Career highlights
Rohit's Test career stats
In 67 Test matches for India, Rohit slammed 4,301 runs at 40.57. In addition to 12 Test tons, he smashed 18 fifties with the best score of 212.
Rohit captained India in 24 Tests, winning 12, losing nine and three.
He has a win percentage of 50. Rohit scored 1,254 runs as captain at 30.58.
However, he will now be focusing on ODI cricket for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh in August.