'Didn’t want to play this sport anymore': Rohit Sharma recalls time when he contemplated retiring
"Everybody was extremely disappointed, and we just couldn’t believe what had happened," Rohit Sharma said about the defeat against Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
Rohit Sharma had a brilliant outing during the ODI World Cup in 2023, both as a batter and as the captain of the side. India won 10 games in a row en route to the final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, the Men in Blue came up short in the summit clash as Pat Cummins-led Australia lifted the title.
During a recent event, Rohit was asked how he coped after losing the match. The former India captain said that the entire team was disappointed with the result. Talking about his own reaction, the 38-year-old said that it took him a lot of time to recover as he had put his heart and soul into winning the coveted title for the nation.
"Everybody was extremely disappointed, and we just couldn’t believe what had happened. It was a very tough time for me personally because I had put everything into that World Cup, not just two or three months before it, but ever since I took over the captaincy in 2022. My only goal was to win the World Cup, whether it was the T20 World Cup or the 2023 World Cup. So when it didn’t happen, I was completely devastated," Rohit said at the Masters Union in Gurgaon, where he was the chief guest.
There was no energy left in my body. It took me a couple of months to recover and bring myself back. I guess when you invest so much into something and don’t achieve the result, it’s a very natural reaction. That’s exactly what happened with me. But I also knew that life doesn’t end there. It was a big lesson for me how to deal with disappointment, reset, and start fresh," he added.
It took some time, a lot of energy, and self-reflection to get back: Rohit
Rohit said that a lot of energy and self-reflection got him back on track after he had contemplated retiring from the sport following the debacle in the final. The T20 World Cup in 2024, which was coming up in less than a year, helped Rohit shift his focus from the defeat.
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"I knew that something else was coming the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies and I had to shift all my focus towards that. It’s very easy to say this now, but at that moment, it was extremely difficult. At one point, I honestly felt like I didn’t want to play this sport anymore because it had taken everything out of me, and I felt I had nothing left. It took some time, a lot of energy, and self-reflection to get back," Rohit said.
"I kept reminding myself that this is something I truly love, that it was right in front of me, and I couldn’t let it go so easily. Slowly, I found my way back putting in the effort, regaining the energy, and getting myself moving again on the field," he added.
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145Rohit will return to action during the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting on January 11 in Vadodara. On the domestic front, he is also set to appear for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
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