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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Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 27 paise to 90.95 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, weighed down by a strong American currency and higher crude oil prices due to the escalated geopolitical tension.

A selling rush in domestic equities further pressured the Indian currency, forex traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 90.94 and slipped further to trade at 90.95 against the greenback in early deals, losing 27 paise from its previous closing level.

The rupee rose 4 paise to settle at 90.68 against the US dollar on Wednesday. The currency exchange markets were closed on Thursday on account of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.04 per cent higher at 97.89.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.14 per cent higher at USD 71.77 per barrel in futures trade.

Analysts attributed the strengthening dollar and crude prices to heightened tension between the US and Iran, with both countries signalling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear programme fizzle out.

On the domestic equity market front, Sensex fell 150.35 points to 82,347.79 in early trade while the Nifty declined 35.15 points to 25,419.20.

On Thursday, foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 880.49 crore, according to exchange data.