India captain Rohit Sharma made a shocking decision to drop himself from the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. The decision was slightly shocking given Rohit is captain of the team but his poor form was starting to cost India badly.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir opened up on Rohit’s unusual decision and lauded him for keeping the team ahead of himself. Gambhir also spoke about taking accountability and feels that Rohit has led the way forward for the team.
Gautam Gambhir breaks silence on Rohit Sharma’s decision to drop himself
During the press conference after the Sydney Test, Gautam Gambhir specifically called Rohit Sharma the leader and hailed him for keeping the team ahead of himself. He feels that Rohit hasn’t done anything wrong by making this decision and slammed the media over the coverage of the matter.
“There have been so many reports and so much has been already said, so you can be a little sensible on that part. If a leader has taken such a decision (to drop himself) by keeping the team ahead of himself, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it,” Gambhir told the reporters.
“A lot of things have been said but I think the most important thing is the team and the country,” he added.
Rohit didn’t play the first Test of the series as he opted out due to the birth of his second child. Jasprit Bumrah led in his absence as India started the series superbly with a thumping win over Australia.
But Rohit was back for the second Test which was a pink-ball affair in Adelaide. He played the second, third, and fourth Test of the series but was not impressive as a batter or as a captain.
“Rohit Sharma has taken that responsibility” – Gautam Gambhir
Further praising the gutsy decision of Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir asked every other member of the team to keep individual interests aside for the betterment of the team. The head coach lauded Rohit for taking responsibility for his poor performance.
“So, I feel that every person, including me, should keep the team ahead of their individual interests and Rohit Sharma has done exactly that. We spoke about accountability and it starts from the top. Rohit Sharma has taken that responsibility,” he concluded.
Apart from Rohit, another senior batter Virat Kohli also endured a poor Test series where he aggregated just 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75. The pressure is increasing on both Rohit and Kohli to retire from the format after a prolonged period of bad form.
Rohit Sharma in BGT 2024-25
Rohit Sharma had a disappointing series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The Indian captain scored just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20. He wasn’t at his best and struggled to bat for a long time in every innings.
Rohit came into the series on the back of a disappointing home Test season where he had scored just 133 runs in five Tests at a miserable average of 13.30. He scored just one fifty in 10 innings against Bangladesh and New Zealand.