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Legends On The List! 3 Indian Players Who Could Retire From Tests After Rohit Sharma

Jatin

Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]

Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday and while it wasn’t entirely out of the blue, it still hits hard. Just a day after the BCCI selectors decided to move on with a new skipper for the England tour, Rohit pulled the plug on his red-ball career.

After already calling time on T20Is post the World Cup win, the Hitman has made it clear that ODIs are now his only priority. With one of Indian cricket’s biggest stalwarts stepping away from the longest format, the writing might be on the wall for a few more seasoned pros.

The kind of message this sends is loud and clear: the Test team is entering a new era and senior players are now on borrowed time. So who could be next?

Here's a look at 3 Indian players who might soon follow Rohit Sharma's footprints and retire from Tests.

3. Mohammed Shami

No one doubts Mohammed Shami’s class, but his body has been letting him down far too often. He hasn’t played a Test since late 2023 and his return to IPL 2025 has been far from promising. The zip, the bite, the menace, it’s just not been the same. And Test cricket isn’t kind to bowlers with creaking bodies.

In 2022 and 2023 combined, Shami bowled in 18 innings and picked only 26 wickets, decent, but not exactly fearsome. Add to that the fact that he is 34 years old and hasn’t had a clean injury-free run for a while and the signs are clear. 

Even if he makes it to the England tour, the physical toll of bowling long spells across 5 Tests could be too much. If his body doesn’t hold up or if he fails to make a mark, it won’t be a surprise if he quietly exits red-ball cricket before year’s end.

2. Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja has been a rock for India in Tests with over 3300 runs and more than 300 wickets in 80 matches. He has been a true all-rounder in every sense of the word. But now at 36, it is getting harder to ignore the ticking clock. His batting, once so reliable, hasn’t looked all that convincing lately. 

And with Axar Patel breathing down his neck, the selectors might just be tempted to look ahead. Axar’s rise as a dependable spinner who can also contribute big runs lower down the order is something India can’t ignore. 

Jadeja already stepped away from T20Is and with the 2027 ODI World Cup in sight, he may want to preserve his body and channel his energy into 50-over cricket. The England tour could well be his swan song in whites, especially if he doesn’t deliver with bat or ball in challenging conditions.

1. Virat Kohli

No one can question Virat Kohli’s legacy in Test cricket. He turned India into a beast of a red-ball side, won overseas, backed pace and brought unmatched aggression to the format. But cricket, like time, waits for no one. Kohli’s numbers since 2020 have been nowhere close to his lofty standards. 

In 69 innings since 2020, he has scored just 2028 runs at an average of 30.7 with only 3 centuries and 9 fifties to his name. That’s not the Kohli we are used to. While his fitness is elite and he still looks sharp in the field, his Test form has raised more eyebrows than runs on the board. 

If the upcoming England tour doesn’t spark a revival, there is a good chance Kohli might pull the plug and walk away gracefully. And to be honest, a big gun like him won’t want to hang around if he isn’t firing. With ODI cricket still offering him a long rope, he might just call time on Tests to focus on the format where he dominates like no one else.