India, July 5 -- Rohit Sharma's retirement from Test cricket was on the cards. After his failure in Australia as both captain and batter, the 38-year-old was on borrowed time. In fact, after Ravichandran Ashwin retired at the end of the Melbourne Test, a school of thought suggested Rohit was next. Reports began to emerge as well. A couple of months later, in an interview with Michael Clarke, Rohit shared his excitement for the upcoming England tour and outlined a clear plan for success. This sparked a belief that the captain still had the drive left to play cricket.

However, the hopes were extinguished on May 7, when Rohit casually announced his retirement from Test cricket. What and how it happened is something we may never know, but it...