Rohit Sharma has no reason to retire: AB de Villiers

South African batting great AB de Villiers feels India's Champions Trophy-winning captain Rohit Sharma has plenty of ODI cricket left in him.

"Rohit Sharma has got no reason to retire," de Villiers said in his YouTube channel. "No reason to take any criticism whatsoever. His record speaks for himself."

Rohit scored 76 in the recent Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, which propelled India to victory and earned him the player-of-the-match award.

De Villiers, known for his power batting, saw plenty of positives in Rohit's recent performances. "If we have a look at his strike rate in the powerplay, it was quite low for an opening batter, but since 2022, his strike rate has risen to 115 in the first powerplay, and that's the difference between good and great. It's transforming your own game and it never stops. You have always something to learn and something to do better," de Villiers said.

According to the South African, 37-year-old Rohit could go down in history as one of the finest batters of all time. "Compared to other captains, look at Rohit's win percentage -- it's almost 74 per cent, which is substantially more than any other captain of the past.

"If he keeps going, he will go down as one of the best ODI captains of all time. Rohit has also said he is not retiring and has requested that rumours be stopped spreading," de Villiers said.