On the second day of the Sydney Test, Rohit Sharma talked about his exit from the team in an interview.
Rohit Sharma is not playing in the fifth Test between India and Australia in Sydney. When Rohit was not in the playing XI, many questions were raised. Speaking to broadcaster Star Sports on Saturday, Rohit said, 'I have not retired.'
Rohit said, 'He dropped himself due to bad form in the Sydney Test. It was a difficult decision to take, but it was in the best interest of the team. Who stays in the team or not is our decision. No one else can decide.'
Rohit further said, 'Four-five months ago, my captaincy and my ideas were very useful. Suddenly these things started to be considered bad. Runs are not being made today, but there is no guarantee that you won't be able to make runs in the future.'
Verbatim: Read what Rohit Sharma said in an interview with Star Sports…
The talk before the start today was that there is help for a lot of bowlers on the wicket and it will take patience. Our batters struggled and we knew it wasn't going to be easy for their batters either. The challenge is to keep up the pressure and we have five wickets in the session. The boys bowled really well and the catching was also really good. The next session is going to be really decisive, that's what happens in Test cricket. Every session is crucial, we won the session before lunch. Now hopefully we will win the next session as well.
Said about the decision to exclude himself from the game,
The selectors and the coach told me that I was not getting runs from my bat, so I dropped myself. People sitting outside with laptop, pen and paper do not decide when retirement will happen and what decision I have to make. I am not in form and this is an important match and we need a player in form. What the team needs right now is priority. I made this decision after we came here (Sydney). It was going through my mind that it was important for me to step aside because I wasn't scoring runs. When I got to Perth it was clear why we won that game, we had a 200-run opening partnership in the second innings, which won the game. KL Rahul and Jaiswal played really well, and they brought us to a position where we couldn't lose the game.
During the drinks break today, Rohit Sharma brought drinks and was seen discussing with captain Bumrah and wicketkeeper Pant.
I am not going to retire…
I don't believe in what will happen in 6 months or 4 months time, I always live in the present and think about what needs to be done now. I am not going to retire. I'm not going anywhere. I am out of this game because I was not in form. Every day in life something changes and I have full faith that things will change. I am sensible, mature and a father of 2, so I know what to do when. You need to understand what the team needs, if you don't think about the team, you don't want those types of players. We call it a team, so always think about what the team needs. This is my personal thinking and this is how I play my cricket and this is how I am outside cricket today. I am very transparent as a person. I am who I am, I can't vouch for anyone else. I don't care if no one likes me.
We all go there with a winning mentality
The way Bumrah is bowling, he is a class. Since I first saw him in 2013, his graph has really gone up and gone from strength to strength. Nothing is given in this format of the game, you have to earn it. What happens in captaincy, not every day is your good day. The ideas and mindset may be similar, but sometimes the outcome will not work in your favor. We know many people will tell us, but I will never doubt myself. It may be wrong at times, but we all go in there with a winning mentality. We don't take to the ground to lose anything… we go to win.'
Gill replaces Rohit in the team, Bumrah captains Jasprit Bumrah is captaining India in the Sydney Test. On the first day of the Test, Bumrah arrived for India's toss wearing a blazer. Captain Rohit Sharma ruled himself out, not playing the fifth Test. Shubman Gill has got a chance in his place.
Struggling with poor form, Rohit managed to score only 31 runs in BGT-2024 Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been a flop in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He could score only 31 runs in 5 innings of 3 Tests. His average has been 6.20. In the year 2024, he could score only 131 runs at an average of 24.76.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
