The signs are already there. Rohit Sharma is ‘dropping himself’ for the India vs Australia 5th Test, and it just so happens that he’s already donned the whites for the Indian cricket team for the final time. Given his form over the last couple of months and age catching up, a retirement call for Rohit Sharma won’t exactly be a shock.
Rohit Sharma “brave” for dropping himself
His former head coach, Ravi Shastri, feels the Indian captain might hang up his boots after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. But Shastri applauded Rohit’s decision to bench himself from the series decider. “It still is a brave call for a captain to own up and say, ‘I’m prepared to take the bench in this game,'” Shastri said live on air while commentating for Fox Sports.
Retirement almost confirmed for Rohit Sharma?
Shastri added that had it been a home season, much like how Team India played Bangladesh and New Zealand in September-November, Rohit might have continued, but since it’s an away tour, retirement remains very much on the cards. “If there was a home season coming up, he might’ve thought of carrying on, but I think he might just pull the plug at the end of this Test,” he added.
Time for transition
With several players coming up and Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja all aging, it’s time for a transition. Just this series, Ravichandran Ashwin has retired, and in the last couple of years, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were left behind as well. Shastri added that it seems like a tough call, but the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector Ajit Agarkar have to make the decision.
“It’s not that India doesn’t have youngsters. There are very, very good players in the wings, and it’s time to build. Tough decisions, but there is a time for everything,” Shastri said.
India’s Playing XI for the Sydney Test
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
OUT: Rohit Sharma and Akash Deep
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