Rohit Sharma wanted to retire after losing to Australia in 2023 ODI World Cup final : ‘I didn’t want to play anymore'”

By Admin

22 Dec, 2025

The Silence After a World Cup Final Loss
The medals, microphones and post-match handshakes often blur after a World Cup final defeat. What remains sharp is the silence that follows. When the body is still in cricket mode, but the mind has already crashed. Rohit Sharma has spoken about that exact moment after India’s heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad   a moment that left him emotionally drained and questioning everything.

A Two-Year Mission That Ended in One Night
While speaking at an event, Rohit Sharma reflected on the enormity of the disappointment. “Everybody was 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.”
For Rohit, captaincy was not just a role, but a promise that began the moment he accepted responsibility. The World Cup was the single objective that shaped every decision, every preparation, and every sacrifice over two years.

Complete Emotional and Physical Depletion
“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. There was no energy left in my body. It took me a couple of months to recover and bring myself back,” Rohit said.
This wasn’t a short phase of disappointment. It was a shutdown. The kind where ambition goes quiet, motivation disappears, and even the love for the game feels distant.

‘I Didn’t Want to Play This Cricket Anymore’
Speaking candidly about the aftermath of the final in Ahmedabad, Rohit admitted, “After the loss, I honestly felt like I didn’t want to play this cricket anymore.”
He explained that such feelings were a natural reaction to investing everything into a single goal and falling short. “When you invest so much into something and don’t achieve the result, it is very natural. That is exactly what happened with me,” he said.
“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.”

Learning to Reset and Start Again
Despite the emotional collapse, Rohit knew life   and cricket   did not end there. “It was a big lesson for me on how to deal with disappointment, reset, and start fresh. I knew something else was coming, the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies, and I had to shift all my focus towards that. It is very easy to say this now, but at the moment, it was extremely difficult,” he added.
The shift did not happen overnight. There was no dramatic comeback or instant spark of motivation.

Finding His Way Back to the Game
Rohit Sharma said his return to cricket was slow and deeply personal. “It took some time, a lot of energy, and self-reflection to get back. 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.”
Step by step, he rebuilt himself   putting in effort, regaining energy, and slowly moving again on the field.

A Captain’s Honest Truth
Rohit Sharma’s words strip away the clichés often associated with elite sport. No miracle switch. No instant redemption. Just time, reflection, and the steady decision to walk back towards the game he still loved   one training day, one ounce of energy, one session at a time.