What’s behind Rohit Sharma’s retirement rumour and Agarkar’s mysterious absence?

By K.R. Nayar

Yesterday, almost all leading newspapers and cricket websites had the story related to Rohit Sharma’s retirement. Devajit Saikia, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), brushed aside speculation over Sharma’s future while addressing the media in Mumbai. When Sharma scored 138 against England recently, why was there speculation about his future in the first place? That remains a mystery.

Rohit Sharma 

The rumour mill had been working overtime – perhaps even harder than Sharma has been working to remain fit for the 2027 ODI World Cup. It all happened following the BCCI’s review meeting over India’s performance in Ireland and England. For the past few months, there have been numerous reports about chief selector Ajit Agarkar not wanting Sharma to be part of the 2027 World Cup team. Interestingly, Agarkar did not attend the BCCI meeting due to “personal commitments.” This has happened at a time when there is also speculation over whether Agarkar’s term as chief selector will be extended.

Ajit Agarkar 

The explanation given for Agarkar’s absence is that “he was out of town, the meeting was called at short notice and he was unable to be connected.” Where exactly is this place that Agarkar has gone to, where even phone connectivity appears to have taken retirement?  Strangely, reporters are supposed to believe all of this, especially at a time when the future of a senior player and World Cup-winning captain is being discussed. This is bound to raise eyebrows quicker than a Sharma pull shot. Right now, what has happened is that Saikia has poured cold water on the hot retirement speculation.

But the question is: who started the fire?  Saikia’s explanation was, “When Sharma is playing superbly, why should there be speculation?” That is precisely the question the media had been asking. Yet, strangely, the question was put back to the media.  Surely, this news was not cooked up by the media just because there was nothing else was to write about. 

In almost all reports, there was mention of Agarkar wanting Sharma to retire. His absence from the BCCI review meeting when talk on this subject has been going on has only added to the mystery. Can the media be blamed if doubts are raised and questions asked about Agarkar’s whereabouts when the meeting agenda involves India’s future planning and the 2027 World Cup?

Was Agarkar really unavailable because of connectivity issues? Somehow the dots don’t seem to connect. Was it simply an unfortunate coincidence? Whispers will continue until it is known which town or village has Agarkar visited where even phone connectivity was unavailable at a time when the BCCI was discussing Indian cricket’s future plans.

Is this a reflection of India’s poor Wi-Fi connectivity? Now the question is: was the Wi-Fi signal missing, or was Agarkar missing when he could have appeared in the meeting through any of the video conferencing apps?

The big question that has come up for discussion is whether Sharma is good enough to play. If yes, then he should play. But why should Sharma, known as the Hitman of Indian cricket, walk into every ODI carrying a retirement question on his shoulders? He should be carrying only his bat to the crease, not a suitcase full of speculation about his future.

What more do the selectors want? The pull shot is still there, and he plays it with breathtaking brilliance. The timing is still simply brilliant. He does make the cricket ball disappear into the stands. His hunger for runs is still high. 

When a decision is taken on Sharma, one should not go by the calendar, calculating his age, but intervene only if his bat does not produce runs. A champion batter does not need a retirement countdown. So there should be no speculation about his retirement forever. Allow him to retire himself on the cricket field.