Rohit Sharma has confirmed he has not retired from Test cricket, but stood down from the Sydney game after finding himself woefully out of form through the Australia tour.
Rohit appeared for a mid-session chat with Star Sports on day two, clearing the air on his much-debated absence from the final Test of the series.
He made it clear that he was not retiring from the Test format, but had made the decision to step down from the SCG Test to let another batter come in.
"I am not going anywhere!" Rohit emphatically said at the end of a 15-minute conversation during lunch on day two where he explained the reason behind his absence from the series decider. Earlier, he had made an appearance during a drinks session, speaking with stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah.
Also read: 'Not an all-time great' - Sanjay Manjrekar criticises 'mysterious' manner of Rohit Sharma omission
Rohit: I stood down, because I was out of form
"I stood down," Rohit said. "I'll say one word, but there are about fifty ways to describe it. The chat that I had with the coach and selector was very simple: the runs aren't coming out of my bat, I am not in form, it's an important match and we need players who are in form. Our batters haven't really been in form.
"You can't carry too many out-of-form players. It was simple.
"I told this to the coach and selectors, and they backed me. They told me I had been playing for several years, and I knew what I was doing. It was a difficult decision, but all things considered, it was a sensible one."
"I won't think too ahead, the thinking at the point was what the team needed".
