Fact Check: Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma did not announce his retirement from test cricket
A statement claiming that Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from the test format of the game is viral on social media.
HYDERABAD: A statement claiming that Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from the test format of the game is viral on social media.
The statement became viral after India lost to Australia during the 2023 ICC World Test Championship which was held in London last week.
A part of the statement reads, “Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it's now… I know it's not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team... You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful.”
FACT CHECK:
Firstly, it should be noted that no such statement was officially released by Rohit Sharma. If indeed he had announced his retirement, it would have been reported by the media. No such information of his retirement from test cricket was reported online or in the newspapers. Even Sharma's official social media handles, made no mention of the retirement.
A reverse image search led to finding the exact statement being shared by former captain Virat Kohli in January 2022. Kohli shared the note when he stepped down as the test captain. The same note was uploaded on Kohli's official Twitter handle on January 15, 2022.
Here, Kohli's talks of his journey, thanking the BCCI for the opportunity and also thanks former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and former coach Ravi Shastri for their support. The same note has been used to share false narratives about Rohit Sharma.
With this, it is clear that an old note shared by another cricketer is being falsely shared to claim that Sharma has announced his retirement from test cricket.