India captain Rohit Sharma, reflecting on his much-debated choice to miss the fifth and final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney, stated that he wanted to be honest to himself and his team.
Rohit stated on Michael Clarke's podcast that coach Gautam Gambhir and selector Ajit Agarkar "agreed and disagreed" with his decision when he informed them that he would not play in the Sydney Test.
During the 2024-25 season, Rohit Sharma went through one of his most difficult times. He managed only 164 runs in 15 innings, at an average of 10.83. Rohit struggled in India's 0-3 home series losses to Bangladesh and New Zealand. He missed the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy test owing to paternity leave.
When Rohit returned to the lineup for the second Test in Adelaide, he gave up the opening berth to Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. In the first Test in Perth, Rahul and Jaiswal combined for a match-winning 201 runs.
However, Rohit struggled at No. 6 in the second Test, failing to reach double figures in either inning. Things only got worse for India's captain, who scored just 10 runs in the third Test in Brisbane, which ended in a tie.
"In the last Test match in Sydney, I had to be honest with myself. I was not hitting the ball well. And I didn't want to put myself there only because we had a lot of the other guys who were struggling as well. When you add yourself in there, it just becomes a little more... And we wanted Gill to play. He is such a good player. He missed out on the previous test.
I was like, 'Okay, if I'm not hitting the ball well, it's right now.' Things can change ten days later, five days later. I spoke to the coach and the selector, who was there on the tour. They kind of agreed—not agreed. There was an argument about it. You try and put the team first and just look at what the team wants and make the decision accordingly. Sometimes it may work, sometimes it may not. So that's how it goes. Every decision you try and make, you are not guaranteed success,” Rohit Sharma told Michael Clarke on his podcast.
"Since I started captaining the national team, not just me, I wanted the rest of the guys also to think alike—try and put the team first and do what's necessary for the team and not worry too much about 'my runs, my scores,' and stuff like that. It's important because you are playing a team sport,” he added.
Rohit finished the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with just 31 runs from three tests. When he dropped himself for the fifth Test, there was talk that he would retire from the Test format. However, in a mid-test chat with broadcasters, Rohit stated that he was not considering retirement.
Rohit discussed the apparent inconsistency in his batting position throughout the series, emphasizing how his lack of form influenced his decisions.
"I want to bat up the order. That's where I like to be. When I got to Australia, things were slightly different. I honestly saw them bat—Jaiswal and Rahul—and I was like, 'Wow.' I watched it, and even though I had a newborn in my hand, I was still watching it. I loved it. I said, 'Why do we have to change this?' This is the series that we wanted to win desperately; we wanted to win the World Test Championship. It was a mixed thought. But I just felt like, 'Let's go with that.' There's nothing wrong with it.
Then, in that Adelaide game, I didn't have a good game. I went back to my room and thought, 'Okay, should I open it? What's going on'? I would rather fail doing what I do and where I do it. That's my position (opening). I would rather go there and bat. Whether I get success or not, that's a different story. That's my position,” Rohit said.
"Even after Adelaide, I thought, 'No, it's just one game. Let me not overthink it. Let's give it another game. It's 1-1. Let's try and maybe change things in Brisbane.' It was a draw in that game as well. When we got back to Melbourne, we changed our mind; we changed our thought a little bit, and then I went back to open the innings," he added.
It remains to be seen if Rohit Sharma will be picked for the upcoming five-Test series, starting June 20. The India captain, sources said, is keen on being part of the tour.
Speaking about the upcoming challenge, Rohit said, "Absolutely. Last time we played these guys, it was 2-2. We need some of these guys (Bumrah and Shami) to be 100 percent. We just have to make sure they come out of IPL really well. This is the most challenging one. I know it's only four overs, but you play today, travel tomorrow, and then play again.
That's the challenging part—traveling all across the country—and it's challenging. I hope these two guys, along with the other guys, come out of the IPL. If we have a fit team going to England, we will have a great series. It will be a good challenge for us."
Rohit has had a difficult start to the IPL 2025 season, scoring only 55 runs in five matches for the Mumbai Indians. He has yet to surpass the 20-run mark this season.
