Rohit Sharma to rest for upcoming Test series against England

India’s Test captain, Rohit Sharma, is expected to skip the upcoming five-match away Test series against England, according to reports in the Indian media on Thursday.

After leading India to victory in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, Sharma is currently representing Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Following the conclusion of the IPL, India is scheduled to tour England for a five-match Test series, set to take place from June 20 to August 4. However, Sharma’s participation in the series remains uncertain.

Reports suggest that Sharma has made the decision to rest from the series due to his disappointing performance in the 2024-2025 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). In that series, he managed only 31 runs across five innings before ultimately sitting out the fifth Test. His struggles with the bat raised questions about his future, both as the team’s captain and as a player in the longest format of the game.

Despite speculation regarding his future, Sharma had previously addressed the rumors and dismissed any suggestions of retirement. He clarified that his decision to step away was due to his inability to score runs rather than any intention to retire from the format.

"This is not a decision of retirement. I am not moving away from this game. But I took a decision to step away from this game because I was not able to score runs with the bat. There is no guarantee that I will score runs 2 months or 5 months from now,” Rohit Sharma had told the broadcasters.

“I have seen a lot of cricket, every minute, every second and everyday life changes. I believe that things will change, but at the same time, I have to be realistic as well. People sitting in the commentary box, or writing with a laptop in their hands, will not decide how my life goes," he concluded.