Monday 06 / January / 2025
Sydney: Opener and right-hand batter Rohit Sharma revealed the reason behind missing out on the last Test of the series in a conversation with host broadcaster Star Sports.
The world of cricket was left in a state of shock when Jasprit Bumrah came out at the time of the toss, confirming Rohit's absence from the playing XI. At the time of the toss, the stand-in skipper confirmed that Rohit opted out.
"I have stood down from this Test but I am not going anywhere. This is not a retirement or moving away from the format. A guy with a mic, pen or laptop, what they write or say, it doesn't matter. They cannot decide for us. I took the call to stand down after coming to Sydney. Yes, runs are not coming but there is no guarantee that you won't be able to score two months down the line or six months down the line. I am mature enough to know what I am doing," Rohit Sharma told Star Sports as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"The chat that I had with the coach and the selector was simple: my bat is not scoring runs, I am not in form, this is an important match, and we need players who are in form. As it is, the boys are not in great form. So I had this simple thought in my mind: we can't carry out-of-form players. That's why I thought I should tell the coach and the selector what's going on in my mind. They backed my decision. They said you have been playing for so many years, you are the best judge of what you are doing," he added.
During India's historic 3-0 home series whitewash against New Zealand, the fiery opener, who has lost his flamboyance, contributed just 91 runs across three Test matches, averaging 15.17.
Even before the series loss against the Kiwis, when India faced Bangladesh, the dynamic opener amassed a mere 42 runs in two Test matches while averaging just 10.50.
In the ongoing BGT series, Rohti has just 31 runs to his name in three matches and five innings in this series at an average of 6.20 and best score of 10.
Rohit's gesture to step down was appreciated by former players with Suresh Raina saying it exemplified his selflessness.
"Rohit Sharma exemplifies leadership through honesty and selflessness. Despite personal challenges, he prioritizes team success, stepping aside when necessary. His leadership in the current Test series reflects his unwavering dedication to India's success. A true legend of the game," Raina posted on X.
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said in a post on X, "Hats off to Rohit! What a candid chat on Star Sports India. Honesty to the core. "We could not carry too many out of form batters into Sydney, that's why I opted out."
Earlier, wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant gave his take on Rohit's absence at the post-day press cnference. For him, it was an emotional decision but didn't provide much clarity as he wasn't a part of those conversations.
"I think, definitely, it was an emotional decision. Because he has been captain for a long time, we see him as a leader of the team, but I think there are some decisions which you are not involved with, and it is a very management call, so I was not part of that conversation so cannot explain anything other than that," Pant said.
