It was expected that Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who is not at his peak in Test cricket, might announce his retirement after the Border-Gavaskar series or possibly after the England Test series in the upcoming months. However, the latest news from Sydney, where India is set to play the New Year’s Test against Australia at the SCG starting from January 3, suggests that we may not see Rohit Sharma in action.
Although nothing is confirmed yet, a few indications hint at his exclusion from the fifth Test. With India currently trailing 1-2 in the series against Australia, they must win the Sydney Test to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and keep their hopes alive for qualifying for the World Test Championship final.
Currently, Rohit Sharma is struggling to convert starts into big scores or, at times, failing to score significantly. This could be a reason why the Indian captain might be dropped. While such a scenario hasn’t occurred in recent times, we might witness some changes for the IND vs AUS SCG Test this time.
Will Rohit Sharma play in Sydney Test?
The reports about Rohit Sharma potentially being dropped are gaining traction because, during a recent press conference, it was Gautam Gambhir, not the Indian captain, addressing the media. When asked whether Rohit Sharma would play, Gambhir said, “We will take the Playing XI call after looking at the pitch on match day.”
Adding to the reports, Rohit Sharma was absent from the slip cordon during the practice session, a position he usually occupies in Test matches. Instead, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul were fielding in the slips, with Shubman Gill also came in for spinners.
Gautam Gambhir on Team India performance at MCG
Also, not to forget, a few days ago, news came that head coach Gautam Gambhir had reportedly expressed his frustration with the team for deviating from the established plan. He criticised a few players for their poor performance at the MCG, particularly those who got out attempting reckless shots in the name of playing their natural game.
India lost the MCG Test by a significant margin of 184 runs and are now trailing 1-2 in the series. They will look to turn things around at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Also, India’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final are getting slimmer, and it’s fair to say their fate now not lies in their own hands.
Rohit Sharma last 10 Test innings
| Test | Innings 1 | Innings 2 |
| 4th Test vs AUS | 9 (40) | 3 (5) |
| 3rd Test vs AUS | 10 (27) | – |
| 2nd Test vs AUS | 3 (23) | 6 (15) |
| 3rd Test vs NZL | 18 (18) | 11 (11) |
| 2nd Test vs NZL | 0 (9) | 8 (16) |
| 1st Test vs NZL | 2 (16) | 52 (63) |
| 2nd Test vs BAN | 23 (11) | 8 (7) |
| 1st Test vs BAN | 6 (19) | 5 (7) |
| 5th Test vs ENG | 103 (162) | – |
| 4th Test vs ENG | 2 (9) | 55 (81) |
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