Rohit Sharma mature enough to Take his Own Retirement Decision: Venkatapathy Raju Reminisces India Captain's Journey | Exclusive

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In the wake of Rohit Sharma's decision to retire from Test cricket, former India player and national selector Venkatapathy Raju has termed the move a timely and mature one, stating that the Indian captain had earned the right to make the call on his terms.

Rohit announced his retirement from Red Ball format on Wednesday evening. Amid the probable development of his removal as India captain, the 38-year-old called it quits in the longest format, announcing a sudden and immediate goodbye.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with MyKhel, Venkatapathy Raju reminisced about a young Rohit Sharma in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in 2007, but also believes the India captain perhaps contemplated his retirement call amid the recent form.

Rohit, who was a mainstay in India's Test setup in recent years, particularly after being promoted to the top of the order under Ravi Shastri's coaching tenure, has ended a red-ball journey that had moments of both brilliance and challenge. Speaking exclusively, Raju offered deep insights into the decision and its significance.

"They are mature enough to know when to go," Raju said. "I think probably the Australia series gave that sign that it's time to just, you know, quit red-ball cricket. He has quit in T20Is as well. I think it was the right call for him."

Tracing Rohit's long journey, Raju recalled how his talent was spotted early and backed despite initial failures in the middle order.

"He started as a middle-order batter. People were surprised when he could not get runs, given the talent he had. But thanks to Ravi Shastri and his team, they made him open, and then the rest was history."

Raju, who was part of the selection committee that picked Rohit for the 2007 T20 World Cup, reminisced about that South Africa match where the young Mumbaikar truly announced himself.

"I was part of the selection committee when we decided to keep Rohit in India's T20 World Cup squad in 2007. We saw a young talent in Mumbai and decided to pick him. And the way he showed his talent in that match against South Africa... People knew he had some special talent."

On Rohit's overall white-ball legacy, Raju was unequivocal in his admiration. A player of the highest caliber, the India stalwart has left a strong imprint across formats.

"It is not easy to get double hundreds in an ODI game. He won the T20 World Cup for us, and the World Cup in England where he scored four or five hundreds... See, the body tells you, right? And he's done brilliantly in all formats for such a long time."

When asked about the leadership vacuum Rohit's departure creates in the Test setup, Raju was thoughtful in his suggestions. While Shubman Gill has been earmarked as vice-captain, Raju believes Jasprit Bumrah could be the right man to lead the team in the upcoming England series.