Rohit Sharma Sparks Retirement Speculations with India Captain's Gloves Act after Gabba Dismissal

Batting at No. 6 for the third consecutive innings in the current series, Rohit seemed settled at the crease, displaying a patient approach as he waited for the right ball to make his move. However, his downfall came once again due to his tendency to play the no-feet movement shot. Cummins delivered a full ball near the off stump, which tempted Rohit to push at it with stiff hands, only to edge it behind to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who completed the catch.

Following the dismissal, as a disappointed Rohit made his way back to the pavilion, he left his gloves in front of the dug out, just behind the advertisement board.

As the sight got highlighted on social media, it sparked a furore with fans speculating that Rohit hinted at the end of his Test career. The veteran India batter earlier announced his retirement from T20I cricket after leading the team to the T20 World Cup title win in June this month. There have also been speculations that Rohit will likely remove himself from the ODI format as well after the Champions Trophy next year in February, where India will reportedly play their matches in Dubai, while the rest of the tournament will be hosted in Pakistan.

Rohit did have an impressive start to the calendar year, where he scored two centuries against England in a home Test series. However, since the start of India's long Test calendar in September, he has scored only 152 runs in 13 innings, comprising a solitary half-century score. He recorded one of his worst-ever performances in a home series both against Bangladesh and New Zealand, before scoring only 19 runs in three innings in the Australia tour, where has been pushed down the order to No. 6, to make way for in-form KL Rahul as an opener.

If Rohit fails to script a comeback in the remaining two Test matches of the series, the selectors might be forced to think otherwise when India's next WTC cycle begins in July.