Team India opening batsman Rohit Sharma has confirmed that he has not been dropped for the fifth Test against Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Sydney. Rohit Sharma rejected retirement talks and said his decision to step down was taken after discussing it with the coach and selectors.
Jasprit Bumrah leads the team in the final Test, while Shubman Gill takes Rohit’s place in the starting XI. There has been speculation about Rohit’s possible retirement from Test cricket due to his recent struggles with the format. He managed just 31 runs across five innings at an average of just 6.20.
I don’t think much about the future – Rohit Sharma
In an interview with Star Sports during the lunch break on the second day, Rohit Sharma said that he was neither rested nor dismissed from the team. Sharma admitted that his form was poor and the runs were not coming. The batsman said he felt it was the right time to step down in a must-win match.
“I stopped, and that’s what I’m going to say. There are fifty words to be said. The conversation I had with the coach and the selectors was simple – runs weren’t coming off my bat, I wasn’t in the game,” Rohit said. “And the players, this was my decision.”
“I’m not thinking too much about the future. At this stage, that’s what the team is asking for. I got that call after coming here (not in Melbourne). We only had three days after the last Test and one of them was the New Year’s break,” he added. “I wanted to tell the coach and the players that day, but it was important to me.”
Rohit Sharma left the team sheet for the Sydney Test
Rohit was left out of the squad for the Sydney Test, and Bumrah stated that the captain “chose to rest”. However, many former cricketers have suggested that this could signal the end of Rohit’s Test career. In 2024, Rohit has scored just 164 runs at an average of 10.9 in his last eight Test matches.
India trails 1-2 in the five-match series in Australia. The visitors won the first Test in Perth, lost the day-night Test in Adelaide, and drew the rain-affected contest in Brisbane. Team India then lost the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, giving Australia an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series.
They don’t get to decide when I retire or when I don’t play – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has stated that his decision to withdraw from the ongoing match has nothing to do with retirement. He stressed that he still hopes to regain his striking level in the near future. Rohit also expressed that the opinions of outsiders do not dictate his career decisions.
Rohit said in the same interaction: “As I said, this decision is not a retirement decision, and I am not stepping down from the game.” “I’m going to stop this game because my racket doesn’t click. That doesn’t mean it won’t click in five months or two months. But at the same time I have to be realistic. Whatever someone writes sitting back doesn’t matter on the laptop or pen, “They don’t have the right to decide when I will retire, or when I will not play. I am a successful man, a father of two children, so I know what I need in life.”
Read also: Rishabh Pant reveals who made the call to drop Rohit Sharma for the Sydney Test
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