All speculations turned out to be true on Friday (January 3) as designated captain Rohit Sharma didn’t feature in India’s playing XI for the fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

There was a growing feeling that Rohit will be dropped from the series finale after he managed just 31 runs in five innings at an abysmal average of 6.20 -- the lowest by a touring captain on Australian soil.

During the customary pre-match warm-up session, Rohit was spotted playing football with Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan. Subsequently, he engaged in a discussion with the team's video analyst Hari Prasad.

Rohit left the outfield close to the toss time before his deputy Jasprit Bumrah walked out to a loud cheer from the SCG crowd.

When the TV cameras panned on him, Rohit was seen sitting outside the dressing room with fielding coach Ryan Ten Doeschate by his side. Head coach Gautam Gambhir was sitting at a distance from them.

Amidst all the drama, India’s team sheet went viral on the internet as Rohit's name was surprisingly missing from the 16-player squad.

Rohit’s exclusion from the team left the fans shocked and they expressed their amazement on social media platform X.

Here are the reactions:

Rohit struggled for runs in Test cricket last year, amassing 619 runs in 26 innings at an average of 24.76. Speculations over his Test future gained momentum after India lost the Boxing Day match in Melbourne to concede a 1-2 lead in the BGT

Now, reports are claiming that the Melbourne Test may have been Rohit’s last for India, considering that the 37-year-old is unlikely to be in the scheme of things for India’s next WTC cycle, which begins with the tour of England later this year.