India, May 7 -- Rohit Sharma, on Wednesday, made a shocking announcement of his retirement from Test cricket "with immediate effect," thus putting an end to the long-standing speculation of his future in the format and potential selection for the upcoming tour of England. The announcement left his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, emotional.

The 38-year-old, who had the most prolific second half of his Test career, bid adieu to the traditional format after scoring 4301 runs in 67 matches with 12 hundreds and 18 half centuries at an average of 40.57. The announcement came amid speculations over his selection in the Indian team for the upcoming five-match Test series in England, let alone his role as a captain, especially following a horrid red-ball ru...