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Sehwag on Virat, Rohit Retirement: "If cricket depended on players, it would have ended!"
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News18•25-09-2026, 14:03
Sehwag on Virat, Rohit Retirement: "If cricket depended on players, it would have ended!"
- •Virender Sehwag, the Nawab of Najafgarh, discussed the impact of cricketer retirements on fan viewership in an exclusive chat with News18.
- •Sehwag dismissed the idea that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's T20 retirements would stop people from watching cricket, citing past legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
- •He noted that despite retirements of past stars, viewership has increased, especially with mobile access making cricket more accessible.
- •While some fans might stop watching, Sehwag believes the game's popularity transcends individual players, stating, "Agar cricketers se hi game chal rahi hoti, toh ab tak band ho jati."
- •Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from T20 internationals after India's 2024 T20 World Cup win, and later announced their Test retirements in May 2025, with both sharing heartfelt messages.
Key Questions Answered
Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 7, while Virat Kohli shared his decision to step away from the format on May 12, 2025.
Virender Sehwag stated that while individual fans might claim they only watch for certain players like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, overall viewership has not declined and in fact increased with mobile accessibility. He noted that the game does not depend solely on individual cricketers.
Both players retired from T20 internationals immediately after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup, with Kohli announcing his decision right after the final and Rohit confirming his retirement during the post-match press conference.
