With India trailing the series 1-2, their captain Rohit Sharma chose to sit out of the fifth Test match against Australia, at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
There had been rumours of India leaving out Rohit for the Sydney Test match, but no confirmed official news. Asked at the press conference, head coach Gautam Gambhir did not provide a direct answer but told the media that India would pick their XI after having a look at the pitch.
The official confirmation did not come before Jasprit Bumrah walked out to toss. “Our captain has shown leadership by opting to rest in this game,” Bumrah told official presenter Ravi Shastri even without he had been asked about Rohit. “That shows there’s a lot of unity in this team. There’s no selfishness. Whatever is in the teams best interest we are looking to do that.”
Captains opting out of Test matches, while rare, have happened. WG Grace (in 1899) and MS Dhoni (2014-15) walked into retirements during Test series against Australia. Anil Kumble did the same in 2008, though he had been injured during the Test. Mike Denness, meanwhile, had dropped himself during the 1974-75 tour of Australia, then returned to lead.
In limited-overs cricket, Dinesh Chandimal famously opted out of the semi-final and final of the 2014 T20 World Cup, while Misbah-ul-Haq did the same during an ODI series against Australia.
Rohit’s decision to rest himself came during a phase when both he and, under him, the Indian team were going through a torrid time. New Zealand won 3-0 on Indian soil to end the hosts’ streak of 18 consecutive Test series wins at home. It was also the first time India were clean-swept at home by a margin that big.
Bumrah led India to a win at Perth when Rohit missed the Test. Since Rohit returned to lead, India fell behind in the series, losing two of the three Tests and drawing at Brisbane.
Rohit’s personal form, too, took a hit during this phase. Across eight Tests this series (including a 2-0 sweep against Bangladesh at home), he has made 164 runs in eight Tests at 10.93 with a solitary fifty. Opening the batting has not worked out for him and neither has batting at six. His batting average dropped from 45.46 to 40.57 over this period.
India will not play their next Test match before Rohit turns 38. Whether this is going to be his last Test remains to be seen.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
