Why did Rohit Sharma not play in the India vs Australia 5th Test? Has the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sacked him? Did head coach Gautam Gambhir tell him to step away? Or was it Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, who told him he wouldn’t be considered for selection in Sydney? We had no answers to any of these questions, more than 24 hours after Rohit Sharma didn’t feature in the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Rohit Sharma clears the air on Sydney exclusion
Well, the man has himself answered these questions now. On the second day of the Sydney Test, the Indian captain stepped onto the field to help interim captain Jasprit Bumrah with tactics. Later, when lunch was taken, he came for an interview on the sidelines. He was asked the main question quickly. ‘Since yesterday, we are hearing reports. So, did you opt out, rest, or get dropped?’ Jatin Sapru said to Rohit Sharma.
“Neither of the three (Rohit Sharma said while laughing). I would say, ‘I stood down,'” the Indian captain said while speaking with Star Sports.
Rohit Sharma dropped himself for the betterment of Team India
As per reports, Rohit had a chat with Agarkar and Gambhir before the India vs Australia 5th Test and then decided to bench himself. He corroborated the same. Amid his poor form and some of the other batters, he knew the team couldn’t carry so many out-of-form players in what was a must-win match in Sydney. Therefore, he had to make the tough call.
“The chat that I had with the BCCI and selectors was very simple. I told them I wasn’t scoring runs; my form wasn’t there, and it was an important match. We need players who are in form, and apart from me, there are other batters who aren’t in form. So, we can’t carry a couple of batters who are out of form. So, I told the coach (Gambhir) and selector (Agarkar) what I was feeling. They backed my decision; they said, ‘You know what you are doing; you have been playing for so long.’ It was a tough decision to make but a sensible one,” he added.
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