Rohit Sharma: The Hitman who won’t quit, even when memes beg him to

Tailenders became the Real Sharma in BGT 2025

It's time to go back in time to the Aussie summer that is gone. Rohit's bat was as silent as a library on exam day. Overall, he batted 5 times and only scored 31 runs, with an average of 6.2. Ouch. That went viral. More memes were created and spread quicker than "retire" was tweeted. @Rishi_CreateX went all in with this: "Even the tailenders are scoring more than Rohit. He should retire immediately." Imagine this: a cartoon Rohit, with Jasprit Bumrah pouncing on his back and the caption "Who's the real opener here?" Fans didn't side with him; they ridiculed him. Basically, the idea was, "Dude, either hang up the boots or the boots will do it to you."

The demands for his retirement are increasing. He even stepped out of the Sydney Test squad, which was the cause of the rumors of the quiet exit. "Is this it?" was the question that we had over chai and doom-scrolling. Some Test cricket pundits proclaimed his legacy as a cricketer was finished. He was a burnt toast. And Aussie sledging at the side.

Champions Trophy 2025: dandiya, 76, and a big "Nah" to retirement
 

You are in Dubai. Rohit steps out, makes 76 runs off 83 balls—7 fours, 3 sixes—and here is the time the meme kings choose to go all forgetful about the kind words they had made. India pursues 252, takes the trophy, and Rohit is awarded Player of the Match. And then, after the going-viral picture was the Stumps version of the dandiya, in which both Virat Kohli and he closed off the field. X bursts. The memes are huge: "Never doubt Rohit Sharma." his smirking face with his name are out in droves. Another one? A GIF of him dancing, captioned "Critics, meet my stumps."

Suddenly, the mood shifts. @Nisarg25_ exclaims, “Well done, Rohit Sharma. 🌟👏.” @StanwarSatish joins in with, “Shutting the silence of critics up and establishing himself as a legend.” News portals report wildly: “Rohit’s men get grand welcome!”. “Icy nerves, fiery spirit!”. Sure, some X grumps—like @TravisBi3k1e’s “horrific show” rant from earlier matches—lingered. But after that 76? Crickets. Pun intended.

It’s the rumored retirement time next. Right after the final, Rohit goes to the press conference room with all the attitude and show of hands. “I am not going to retire from this format,” he says in a confident tone. “I'll stop these rumors right here,” he also jokes. Furthermore, the memes have kicked in: Rohit in shades, captioned “Rumors? What rumors?” Another one is a photo of him batting, with the lines: “Retirement called. I said, ‘Not today, fam.’” He also didn’t hesitate to criticize the haters. "Some people should watch more and talk less," he joked (paraphrased from his press conference). Did he mean it subtly? No. Was the message sharp? Certainly. The World Wide Web went bananas for that one. A meme of Rohit winking, with a note “Watch me, haters,” set on fire. Does the caption have a sense of double meaning? Yes, definitely—whether you are going to see him bat or he is just going to grill you.

The Meme Verdict

And here is the paradox of this whole story. At BGT, Rohit was a walking disaster of memes. Even bowlers who were worse than Hitman and some fans who couldn’t stand the drone of retirement calls were the ones who were getting all the attention. Was he? A meme star—wearing stumps as royal crowns, striking the critics, and secretly smiling at the jokes that have been made. "Don't you ever doubt Rohit Sharma” quote replaced the pessimistic ones. It is interesting and true in a way that 76 runs can flip "Retire, bro" into "Rule forever, bro." What really matters is how funny you are, not the trophy you display. And Rohit is laughing all the way through many matches of the next IPL.

Disclaimer: No stumps were harmed in writing this article. Critics might need ice for that burn.