March 13, 2025: Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has weighed in on the retirement speculation surrounding Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, suggesting that the Indian skipper’s decision to continue playing in the One-Day International (ODI) format may be driven by a sense of unfinished business following India’s loss in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final.
Rohit Sharma, who took over as India’s captain in 2021 at the age of 34, recently led India to their second ICC title under his leadership with a dominant Champions Trophy win in Dubai. As he nears 38, questions around his retirement from the ODI format have been swirling, especially after he retired from T20 internationals following India’s T20 World Cup victory. However, in a press conference after India’s victory against New Zealand, Rohit quashed retirement rumors, stating firmly, “I am not going to retire from this format, just to make sure no more rumors are spread.”
Speaking on The ICC Review with host Crystal Arnold, Ricky Ponting offered insight into why he believed Rohit made the announcement. Ponting speculated that Rohit’s statement might be a deliberate attempt to dismiss any retirement talk and to demonstrate that he is still performing at a high level. “When you start getting to that point of your career, everyone is waiting for you to retire. And I do not know why, when you can still play as well as he has played, I think he was just trying to put those questions to bed once and for all and say, ‘no, I am still playing well enough. I love playing in this team. I love leading this team,'” said Ponting.
Ponting also suggested that Rohit might be aiming for a specific goal in his career, potentially eyeing the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. He noted, “I think, the fact that he said that, to me, it means that he must have that goal in mind of playing in the next (50-over) World Cup.”
India’s journey in the 2023 World Cup had been impressive, as they won 10 consecutive games, but they fell short in the final against Australia, suffering a six-wicket defeat. This loss could be a driving factor for Rohit, according to Ponting, who believes there is still a strong desire for Rohit to have “one more crack at trying to win the T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy, and the ODI World Cup.”
Ponting further emphasized that with the way Rohit played during the Champions Trophy final, it was clear that his time had not yet come. “When you see him play like he played in the Champions Trophy final, you would not say that his time is up just yet.”
Rohit Sharma himself remained non-committal about his participation in the 2027 World Cup but stated he was keeping his options open. “It is very hard to say that right now,” he said. “But I am keeping all my options open. I want to see how well I am playing. Right now, I am playing really, really well, and I am enjoying everything I am doing with this team, and the team is enjoying my company as well.”
The Indian captain concluded by saying that it was too early to predict his future involvement in the 2027 World Cup, but he was enjoying his current role and was focused on continuing to perform at his best.
In the 2025 Champions Trophy, Rohit Sharma finished with 180 runs from five matches, with an average of 36.00 and a strike rate of 100.00, including a best score of 76. His performance showcased that he still remains a key figure in India’s cricketing setup, further underlining why he might continue to play in the format for years to come.