In Sydney, former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri believe that Rohit Sharma might have played his last Test match. This idea comes after Rohit decided to rest for the final Test of the series against Australia, which started on Friday. The 37-year-old captain has not scored many runs recently, just 31 runs in his last five innings over three Tests.
Sunil Gavaskar shared his thoughts during lunch on the first day of the Match, saying, “This could mean India won’t make it to the World Test Championship finals, and this Melbourne Test is likely Rohit’s last.” He pointed out that the next cycle of World Test Championship will begin with the series against England, and the selectors might want younger players for the future.
Ravi Shastri agreed, suggesting that Rohit could decide to retire from Test cricket after this series. He noted that Jasprit Bumrah mentioned at the toss that Rohit chose to rest, believing the team would perform better with Shubman Gill playing instead. Shastri commented, “It takes courage for a captain to say he will sit out when he’s not in form.”
Rohit’s recent performance has been disappointing, as he has only crossed 20 runs twice in his last eight matches. With India behind 1-2 in the series, they need to win this final Test to keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which they have held for ten years, and to stay in the race for the World Test Championship finals against South Africa. If India doesn’t qualify, they will head to England for a Test series in June.
Shastri mentioned, “If there were home games coming up, Rohit might think about continuing, but it’s possible he will retire after this Test.” He added that India has many young and talented players waiting for their chance.
At the toss, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah praised Rohit’s leadership by taking a rest. Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also applauded Rohit for thinking of the team, but he didn’t understand the secrecy around the decision, saying, “It’s typical of Rohit Sharma to do what’s best for the team, but this should have been clearer at the toss.”
On the other hand, former Australian captain Mark Taylor suggested a different view, saying a captain shouldn’t “opt out” of a crucial Test match. He feels Rohit has been dropped due to his poor performance, stating, “It doesn’t mean he is out forever; it just means he’s not playing this Test because of his form, and that’s part of sports.”
After their loss in the previous Boxing Day Test, Rohit admitted that his poor performance had been “mentally disturbing,” calling it frustrating when he can’t perform well.
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