"His overall contribution to Indian cricket is remarkable": Vengsarkar on Rohit Sharma

Dilip Vengsarkar. Pic/Satej Shinde

India captain Rohit Sharma's decision to retire from Test cricket with immediate effect came as a surprise to former skipper and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar.

This means Rohit, 38, who represented the country for the last time in the longer format against Australia in Melbourne Test last December, will not travel with the Indian team for the upcoming five-match Test tour to England, starting with the opening match at Leeds on June 20.

"It's surprising that Rohit will not be playing red-ball cricket because I was hoping he would play against England [in the upcoming tour] as that series is very important. I think he has been doing well for many years and leads so well in England, which makes him such an asset to the Indian team. But anyway, it [retirement call] is his decision, his call and I wish him all the best for the future," Vengsarkar told mid-day on Wednesday.

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The former India batter added that Team India will miss Rohit's experience in England. "India will miss Rohit very much in England because he has played there so many times, and has done well there too. An in-form Rohit is an asset to any team. I believe Rohit will be badly missed in England," said Vengsarkar, further raising a toast to the swashbuckling batter. "Rohit has always had tremendous potential. He has done exceedingly well in all formats of the game - not only in the shorter version but in Test cricket too. He has had a wonderful career. I've always felt that he has so much time to play his shots and he plays them with a lot of authority. He has led the team very well, especially in T20s and has also won five or six IPL titles. His overall contribution to Indian cricket is remarkable," added Vengsarkar.

When asked about who would be a potential Test leader in Rohit's absence, Vengsarkar replied: "This England tour is very important and you need an experienced captain. I think Jasprit Bumrah would be the right choice because he did well in Australia and also as a captain [in 2024]. Of course, this is subject to his fitness, which is important," Vengsarkar signed off.