New Delhi (PTI): Rohit Sharma has no reason to retire, says South African batting great AB de Villiers, who believes the India skipper could go down as one of the greatest ODI captains of all time.

Speculations were rife about Rohit's retirement from ODIs after the Champions Trophy, but the 37-year-old put them to rest after leading India to an unprecedented third title.

"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," de Villiers said in his YouTube channel.

"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."

Rohit smashed an 83-ball 76, playing a pivotal role in India's tricky 252-run chase in the final against New Zealand in Dubai to win the player-of-the-match.

"Why would he retire? With that kind of record not only as captain but also as a batter. That 76 in the final, giving India a fantastic start, laying the foundation for success and leading from the front when the pressure was at its peak,” de Villiers said.

Hailing Rohit's record as both a batter and captain, de Villiers was effusive in his praise for how the India captain transformed his batting in the ODI format over the last three years to win the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy in a span of nine months.

"Rohit Sharma has got no reason to retire. No reason to take any criticism whatsoever. His record speaks for himself. Not only that, but he has also sort of transformed his game," he said.

"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,” he added.

 

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Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.

According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.

He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.

Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.

He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.

His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.

The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.

The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.

Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.

Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.