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Rohit Sharma shocked the cricketing world earlier this year in May after he annouced his retirement from Test cricket. Not only was he the Men in Blue's captain in the format at that time, but he was also expected to play a key role in the five-match red-ball assignment against England. His retirement left BCCI with no choice but to appoint a new Test captain and they went ahead with Shubman Gill.
Rohit retired from Tests after playing 67 matches in the format and scoring a total of 4301 runs, including 18 fifties and 12 centuries. He had a great average of 40.57 in red-ball cricket alongwith the highest individual score of 212. Though Rohit's numbers in the white-ball formats are superior, his contributions for the Men in Blue in the longest format cannot be ignored either.
Months after calling time on his red-ball career, Rohit has now opened up on his time with the Indian team in the format. He remarked that Tests not only demand longevity, but are also mentally challenging.
“It’s something that you prepare for, because the game demands longevity. Especially in the Test format, you have to last for five days. Mentally, it is very challenging and it is draining as well," Rohit said while speaking at an event in Mumbai.
“But all cricketers have been brought up playing First-Class cricket. When we start playing cricket at a competitive level, even in Mumbai, club cricket (matches) go on for two days or three days, so we are built like that, and it starts at a very young age for us," he added.
Rohit further stated that concentration is something which is very important for high-level performance in red-ball cricket.
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“It takes a lot when you’re playing the longest format and concentration is something that is the key, because you are speaking about high-level performance and when you are expecting to put in high-level performance, it starts with being mentally fresh all the time," Rohit stated.
Rohit to soon be in action for Indian team
Meanwhile, it is likely that Rohit will be seen in action for India in their upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia which is set to commence from October 19. If the 38-year-old does participate in the series, then it will be his first competitive assignment since IPL 2025 where his side Mumbai Indians ended up getting knocked out by the Punjab Kings in the second qualifier.
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