Rohit Sharma to retire from Test cricket: Reports

Indian Test cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has decided to retire from Test cricket, multiple media reports have claimed. 

Rohit will announce his retirement at the end of the ongoing Five-Test series against Australia. Top officials of the BCCI and selectors are reportedly also aware of Sharma's impending plans and his unwillingness to change his decision to retire.

The final date and time of his retirement are still under wraps but Indian media has claimed that he will likely announce his retirement at the end of the fifth Test match in Sydney.

He has scored only 31 runs in six innings of the three Test matches. 

Rohit Sharma retired from T20 format during the presentation ceremony after winning the final of the T20 World Cup in June this year.

At present, Australia is leading 2-1 in the Test series while one Test match was drawn.

It is time for Rohit Sharma to go, says Indian journalist

Indian sports journalist Vikrant Gupta has said that, "It is time for captain Rohit Sharma to go", adding to a chorus of speculation on the star player's career. 

"If he does not announce his retirement, it will be a surprise for me," Gupta said on the digital platform Sports Tak. The Indian journalist discussed Rohit Sharma's retirement from captaincy at a time when the team's performance was under discussion on the second day of the Boxing Day Test on Friday.

Vikrant said, "There is not a single player in India who has told the chief selector that I have had enough. If Rohit Sharma had intended to retire, he would not have opened the innings. When the runs are not coming, the  captain's respect in the dressing room starts to decrease. No one in cricket remains a captain for life."

The journalist pointed out that there has been a system of captains coming and going in Indian cricket. "A new captain will come, and social media will have influence on this matter. Rohit is a very good person, he does not have a bad or rude attitude on the field, but the matter is about the Indian team here."

When the Indian captain came into the field as an opening batsman in the first innings, Pat Cummins dismissed him on an individual score of just 3.

Rohit Sharma scored 3, 6, 10 and 3, respectively, in five innings during the series against Australia, scoring only 22 runs in total.

Rohit Sharma will step down as captain: Sunil Gavaskar

Former Indian cricket team captain Sunil Gavaskar has predicted that Rohit Sharma will step down as captain if he does not perform well in the upcoming Test matches.

"If Rohit Sharma flops in Melbourne and Sydney, he will resign and will not wait for the selectors' decision. He will definitely play the last two Test matches, but if Rohit Sharma does not score runs in the last two matches, I think he will step down as captain," Gavaskar predicted. 

He speculated that Rohit will not become a burden on the team. "He is a cricketer who cares a lot about the team."

Rohit Sharma has scored only 152 runs in the last 13 Test innings at an average of 11.83, for which he is facing a lot of criticism.

Sharma is currently under criticism due to his recent form and leadership decisions, particularly following India’s losses against New Zealand and Australia.