Nearing 38 but refusing to slow down, Rohit Sharma returns to the tournament that turned it around for him in 2013. He's made no promises yet, but there is little reason to continue beyond it, writes Aadya Sharma.
“If I was an opener, it would've given me time to go out there and figure out things”.
In an October 2012 interview with the Times of India, Rohit Sharma, then a middle-order floater, first voiced his aspirations of being an ODI opener. Until that point, he’d danced around the length of India’s lineup from one to seven, batting lower more than higher. The ODI average at 30.84 from 85 ODIs was unimpressive. His last five scores said 5, 0, 0, 4, 4, and he managed to add another four to end a dry year.
Few would have imagined Rohit would still be around more than a decade later, much less as an all-time ODI great and ICC title-winning India captain. He did eventually snatch that opening spot and made it his own, starring in one of cricket’s most illustrious turn-abouts. But the end, surely, is near.
This April, he turns 38. Before him, only five India cricketers have played an ODI beyond that age. His opening partner, Shubman Gill, is earmarked to spearhead India’s batting future, and his designated successor, Yashasvi Jaiswal, just endured a last-minute drop-out from a trip to the Emirates. When Jaiswal finally takes over that spot, there’s no doubt he’ll keep it for a long time.
Between that and now is the Champions Trophy, the tournament that flicked the Banner-turned-Hulk switch for Rohit in 2013. It came two years after he publicly expressed his disappointment at missing out on the 2011 ODI World Cup. “I need to move on from here..but honestly it was a big setback,” he tweeted.
Before that UK trip in 2013 that changed it all, Rohit lived under the perception of being the talented underachiever, the sensation-without-sense. For some, he was too casual, for others, highly untempered. It was the time WhatsApp boomed in India, as did memes. Naturally, Rohit was the unlucky target of several instant-noodle jokes. “All done in two minutes”, would be the general punchline.
Across his career, those jibes floated around in different varieties, often ridiculing his body weight. But the background babble couldn’t mock his batting anymore, as Rohit’s middling outings metamorphosed into record-breaking chapters. As he enters his 15th senior ICC white-ball tournament, Rohit’s grubby India cap rests on one of modern cricket’s smartest, and most thick-skinned personalities – a career full of checked boxes, both as batter and captain.
Perhaps it’s the sting of the early struggles, or the innate stubbornness that makes Rohit who he is, the great man refuses to walk away gently. He’s made no promises about the future and no long-term commitments. Just months ago, he was taking bullets like he was back in the early 2010s, tripped by an Australia tour that seemingly full-stopped his Test career. Before that came a historic, crushing home whitewash, and an average of 6.20 from three Tests. Lesser beings would have buckled then and there.
Equipped with his usual sass and bone-dry humour, he came out all guns blazing with a mic in hand, challenging anyone who questioned where his future lay. Ten days ahead of the Champions Trophy, he did that with the bat. A 90-ball 119 was as good as he’s ever batted, clicking back into top gear. Slow reflexes? No sir. Short-ball issues? Zilch. Bulging waistline? Can you please…
If there’s one thing Rohit has taught you is to never, ever write him off. Not in his mid-twenties. Not his late thirties. The jokes and critiques didn’t stop him then, and he’s not affording them the power still.
So what now?
When he steps out under the ring-lit Dubai stadium for at least three more matches, Rohit will get a chance to complete a full circle. A wonder tale unravelled from 2013, and persists in its own novel way even today. But, at the cost of being crushed by yet another Rohit twist, it’s prudent to say the 2025 Champions Trophy should be it.
It isn’t just about the poetic, looping ending. Of course, the 2023 ODI World Cup will forever be the nerve that pokes, but 2027 – if that is the end-game – surely feels a step too far. Rohit’s already a former T20I cricketer, and India have benefitted from the infused freshness of youth. Sticking to a format that’s fast-becoming relevant only around big events leaves Rohit with the chance to be exposed by long gaps of absence.
In Tests, whether he says it or not, India’s talent trenchcoat has the deep pockets to nurture and brandish new batting stars. He may stay on until the England Tests, but it’s really time to look at the big picture.
No less in one-dayers. In Jaiswal, India has a ready-made duckling trained for stormy seas. Affording him two years at the top alongside Shubman Gill would perfectly stew the opening spot for mission 2027.
There's no clear leadership successor yet, but isn't this also the best time to blood the next one?
On a personal front, there’s little left to achieve for Rohit beyond the Champions Trophy. Whether it ends with confetti or commiserations, this should be it for the great man. The twists and turns of his wonder tale still startle you, but the ink is running out. It’s best to sign off before the dye gives way, leaving a blot. Pushing any further would only entertain obstinance.
So here we are. Three games at the least, five at the most. And a golden chance for the hurting youngster from 2011 to silence all the jibes and noise.
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