Rohit Sharma was dropped from the playing eleven for the series-deciding fifth Test between India and Australia in Sydney. But a bigger surprise for fans was that his name was not among the 15 players mentioned on the official team sheet.
Owing to poor form, which saw just 31 runs from Rohit’s bat in five innings of this Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, the captain was benched for the concluding game of the tour, marking the first such instance for an Indian skipper in the middle of a series across formats.
However, the team sheet did not have Rohit’s name, which was not expected, and it further fueled speculations that he is set to become the second Indian player to retire in this series, following Ravichandran Ashwin. After the third Test in Brisbane, the off-spinner quit international cricket with immediate effect on the team sheet, which was unexpected. This speculation that he would
Earlier in the day, after stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and decided to bat first, he discussed the situation with the 37-year-old Rohit.
“Our skipper has opted to rest. It shows the unity we have,” the fast bowler said.
However, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar was baffled at the word rested and refused to buy it.
“I believe the official word is that he has ‘opted to rest’. Will fans accept that? This is the guy who didn’t play in the first Test and didn’t play domestic cricket before the New Zealand series. If anyone needs rest, it is the (stand-in) captain (Bumrah) who is playing this Test,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
Rohit joined the team in Australia from the second Test onwards, as he had been away on paternity leave after the birth of his child.
