New Delhi: Amid speculations that he has already played his final Test match for India in Melbourne, Rohit Sharma has confirmed he is not retiring from Test cricket anytime soon. Rohit revealed he ‘stood down’ as captain ahead of the ongoing 5th Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 as he was not in form and not scoring runs.
Rohit was left out of India’s playing XI for the ongoing fifth and final Test against Australia, a must-win encounter for the visitors to remain alive in the race for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Soon after Jasprit Bumrah walked out for the toss after replacing Rohit as skipper at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Friday, contradicting reports surfaced about whether the senior batter was dropped or if he ‘opted out’ of the Test match.
When asked about the reports, Rohit claimed none of it was true and said he himself decided to stand down as captain to make way for Bumrah as he felt it was the right decision for the team. Rohit revealed he had a chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar regarding his form and insisted that the team needed an in-form player in his place in the XI.
“I stood down (on being excluded from the playing XI) that is what I would say. Basically, the chat I had with the coach and selector was simple: I am not in form, it is an important match and we need a player in form. Not thinking too far ahead, right now what the team needs is the priority,” Rohit said during an interaction on Star Sports during lunch on Day 2 of the 5th Test in Sydney.
Rohit, who made his comeback in the 2nd Test against Australia in Adelaide after skipping the opener in Perth due to the birth of his son, never looked convincing with the bat in the last three matches. He failed to fire in the middle order in the 2nd and the 3rd Test, respectively before returning to his original opening slot in the 4th Test in Melbourne.
However, Rohit failed to get back among the runs at the top and was dismissed cheaply on 3 and 9 in the two innings as India suffered a crushing 184-run defeat in the Test match to go 1-2 down in the series. Having managed only 31 runs in three Test matches, an axe looked inevitable for Rohit with Bumrah ready to take over the captaincy baton.
This is not a retirement decision: Rohit Sharma
While his axing from the playing XI and the decision to hand over the captaincy to Bumrah raised questions over his future for India in Test cricket, Rohit confirmed he is not yet thinking about retirement. He remains optimistic about sparking a turnaround in the future and said runs might start flowing for him anytime and that he has the belief that he can still make a strong comeback.
“This is not a retirement decision. I am not going to leave the game. There is no such decision. But I am out of this game because the bat is not working. But there is no guarantee that the bat will not work after 5 months. There is no guarantee that the bat will not work after two months or six months down the line,” Rohit said.
“We have seen a lot in cricket. Every minute, every second, every day life changes. So, I have a belief that things will change,” he added.
Rohit’s exclusion from the playing XI paved the way for Shubman Gill’s inclusion in the side as the right-hander, who was dropped from the playing XI for the 4th Test in Melbourne, returned at no.3. When asked whether he had decided after the 4th Test that he wanted to stand down as captain and not be part of the XI, Rohit revealed he took the decision after arriving in Sydney.
Rohit revealed he informed head coach Gambhir and the selectors about his decision ahead of the start of the 5th Test as there was New Year’s eve in between. The senior batter revealed the decision was constantly running in his mind as he knew he was not contributing enough with the bat and had to make peace with his struggles.
“No, I took this decision after coming to Sydney. Because after the match, we had only two days in between. And one day was New Year’s eve. So on New Year’s, I did not want to tell this to the coach and the selector. But it was running in my mind that I am trying and trying. But it is not happening. So I have to accept that it is not happening. And it was important for me to step aside,” said Rohit.
Rohit Sharma has confirmed he is not retiring from Test cricket anytime soon and ‘stood down’ as captain to make way for Jasprit Bumrah to lead India in the 5th Test against Australia after a discussion with head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
