Amidst the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma ‘opted out’ of the fifth and final Test against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, a report by Indian Express said that Rohit is no more a part of the selectors’ plan beyond the Australia tour when it comes to red-ball cricket.
The report even added Rohit had already been communicated to him before the Sydney Test.
Apart from this, the selectors will also sit with Virat Kohli to discuss the way ahead post the BGT. Ravindra Jadeja may continue to remain in the scheme of things, citing his stats and contributions to the team in last few Tests.
Did Rohit ‘opted out’ or forced to ‘opt out’?
Coming back to the questioned if Rohit ‘opted out’ or forced to ‘opt out’ from the Sydney Test, the report claims the decision was taken by the player and head coach Gautam Gambhir after the meeting with the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar.
In the ongoing BGT 2024-25, after missing the first Test at Perth, Rohit’s struggles with the bat continued. He scored just 31 runs in his five innings in three matches – 3, 6, 10, 3 and 9.
What Bumrah had said:
Regarding Rohit Sharma sitting out in Sydney, India’s stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah, during the toss, said, “Our captain has shown leadership by opting to rest in this game. That shows there’s a lot of unity in this team. There’s no selfishness. Whatever is in the team’s best interest we are looking to do that. Two changes, Rohit has opted to rest and Akash Deep is injured so Prasidh comes in.”
“We’ve played some really good cricket in this series. The last match was pretty exciting. Hopefully we can put up a good show. It seems to be some grass. It doesn’t look to have too many demons or look too spicy. Obviously, there will be a challenge with the new ball, but if you get through it’s always a good batting track,” Bumrah added.
On 50-over format:
According to a report in MyKhel, the BCCI top brass is already in talks for a new captain in the 50-over format. It also stated that if the Indian board decides to ease the pressure from Rohit, Pandya could be the next Indian captain in ODIs.
“Hardik has the knack for leading in high-pressure situations, and his experience as an all-rounder and leader makes him an ideal choice for an ICC tournament like the Champions Trophy,” a source was quoted as saying.
Looking at the pattern, it is almost the same to what happened at Mumbai Indians just before Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
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