Rohit Sharma spoke at length about his decision to skip the fifth Test against Australia, saying poor form was the reason he “stepped down” from the game.
The India captain did not make the XI in Sydney, with various reports differing in the reasons for his omission. Rohit averaged 6.20 in five innings on the current tour after missing the first Test due to the birth of his second child. India, under Jasprit Bumrah, won the Perth Test, but were unable to clinch the next three games, as India slumped to a 2-1 deficit heading into Sydney. Bumrah was asked to lead in the fifth game, where he mentioned that Rohit had “opted out” of playing.
On Saturday, Rohit clarified to Star Sports that he had “stepped down” but ruled out immediate retirement. Interestingly, Rohit had not lined up for the national anthems ahead of the game and was also not mentioned in the list of reserves during the toss.
“Made the decision after we came to Sydney”
Rohit confirmed that he decided to not play the fifth Test at the last minute and only conveyed his decision to the management, including head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar after the team landed in Sydney. Ahead of the game, Gambhir had addressed the media, stating that Rohit’s place in the XI would be determined by the pitch.
“I made this decision after coming here [to Sydney]," Rohit said. "We had only two days between the matches. On New Year's, I didn't want to have this chat with the selector and the coach. But it was in my mind that I am trying my best but I am not getting the runs. I have to accept it and have to get myself out of the way.”
Rohit, who averaged 13.30 in ten innings against Bangladesh and New Zealand, also led India to their first home series defeat against the Black Caps. He said: “The chat that I had with the coach and the selector was very simple: my bat is not scoring runs, I am not in form, this is an important match, and we need players who are in form. As it is, the boys are not in great form. So I had this simple thought in my mind: we can't carry out-of-form players.
"That's why I thought I should tell the coach and the selector what's going on in my mind. They backed my decision. They said you have been playing for so many years, you are the best judge of what you are doing."
