India, Aug. 26 -- Three months after drawing the curtains on his Test career, Rohit Sharma opened up about the intense mental and physical demands of the format, calling it "mentally challenging" and "draining," even as he emphasised the pivotal role preparation played in helping him navigate its rigours.

Was it the actual reason behind Rohit's decision to announce his retirement from Test cricket in May this year? Rohit reflected on his journey in red-ball cricket during a panel discussion at a CEAT event on Monday. Having scored 4301 runs from 67 Tests at an average of 40.58, Rohit said that the path to sustained performance in the longest format began far away from the limelight - in domestic cricket and hours of preparation.

"Test c...