Indian captain Rohit Sharma said on Saturday that he voluntarily withdrew from the playing XI for the fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024) Test in Sydney due to a protracted decline in form.  

During the lunch break on day two, Rohit told the official broadcaster Star Sports that his choice was made in the best interests of the team, as India was down 1-2 in the vital series.

Rohit Sharma who missed the first Test in Perth, struggled in the rest of the series, scoring just 31 runs in 5 innings. With growing calls for his exclusion, the skipper admitted that the thought of stepping aside had been on his mind since the conclusion of the Melbourne Test.

“The chat I had was very simple. I told the coach and the selectors that I am not scoring runs, and we need players who are delivering in this important match. They backed me on this decision. It was sensible and necessary for the team,” Rohit Sharma said on Star Sports.

“I took this decision in Sydney, but it had been playing on my mind. You have to accept it when you are not performing despite your best efforts,” he said.

Rohit dismissed concerns regarding his retirement, stating that his choice to step away was simply based on his present form and did not signal an eventual departure from the sport.

“I do not get ahead of myself. I do not think of things five months down the line. I see what needs to be done in the immediate future. This is not a retirement decision. I do not intend to leave the sport. I am just out because I am out of form. You do not know what happens in the future. I might start scoring, I might not. But I have a belief that I can come back. That being said, I have to be realistic as well,” Rohit said.

In the end, Jatin Sapru thanked Rohit Sharma for his honesty and expressed gratitude for his leadership. However, Rohit Sharma hilariously told him that he wasn’t going anywhere in his own way.

Rohit said: “Ae bhai, main kidhar jaa nahi rha hu”, leaving Irfan Pathan and Jatin Sapru laughing.

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