Sanjay Manjrekar, former India cricketer, has said that while Rohit Sharma can decide when he retires from cricket, he cannot decide if he will continue to play for India. He said that the decision of giving Rohit a place in the India playing XI in the future or not will be decided by the selectors.
Rohit decided to pull out of the fifth Test in Sydney due to a poor run of form, and in an honest interview on Day 2 of the match, he addressed rumors about his future.
Rohit stated in the interview that he will not retire anytime soon, but Manjrekar pointed out that there is no assurance that he will be able to stay in the team if his form does not improve in the future.
"But there was also another reason why he was doing that interview. To clear the air. Somewhere I think Gambhir was getting all the credit for a brave call by leaving Rohit Sharma out. He wanted to set the record straight. Let's be honest.
I loved that interview. That first bit where he said, I couldn't have another out-of-form batter in the XI, and that's why he opted out. But there were some other emotions too,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
Sanjay Manjrekar further added that while Rohit Sharma can decide when he’ll retire, his future as an Indian player and captain is still up in the air. This will be decided by the chairman of selectors, who believes in the long-term health of Indian cricket.
"One thing that a lot of players say is that ‘I will decide my future'. I have a problem with that. You can decide your future with regards to retirement, but somebody else has got the job to decide your future as a player and captain.
That's the chairman of selectors. You have got to respect the hierarchy, however big you are. If the chairman of selectors is strong and he believes in the long-term health of Indian cricket, he has the power to decide whether your career should end now, or you get a few more matches, or one more series. Retirement is in your hands, but playing for India is not," he added.
India’s next Test assignment will be against England in July this year when they will travel to England for five Tests.
