In an unprecedented move, India captain Rohit Sharma opted to rest himself for the fifth and final test at the Sydney Cricket Ground that kicked off on January 3. Rohit's poor form made him not an automatic pick in the Indian team anymore and had to hand the reins to Jasprit Bumrah for the final Test.
Bumrah had confirmed Rohit's absence at the toss and after the end of the day, wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant opened up on the development stating that it was an emotional moment but the decision came from the management. "It was an emotional moment. He is our leader but it's a team management call (of which Rohit is a part). I was not part of the conversations and can't say more," Pant said at the end of Day 1 of the SCG Test.
Rohit's form has declined since India's home season with the Bangladesh Test series began. He has 164 runs in the last eight Tests at an average of 10.93 with a 52 against New Zealand being the only fifty-plus score. His runs dried even further in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series where he has 31 runs across five innings at 6.20.
The decision to bench himself can also mean that Rohit might have just played his final Test in Melbourne at the end of 2024. India don't have a Test after this till June when they travel to England for the start of the new WTC cycle. Their chances of reaching the WTC final are slim.
Bumrah had led India to their only win of the series in Perth when he wore the captain's hat as Rohit was not available due to the birth of his second child. The speedster himself opened up on the move of Rohit sitting out of the Test at the start.
"We are looking to bat first. We have played some good cricket. The last match was exciting. The grass doesn't look spicy. We always have learnt to digest defeats. We will look forward to this. Our skipper has opted to rest. It shows the unity we have. We have two changes. Rohit has opted out and Prasidh comes in for the injured Akash Deep," Bumrah had said at the toss.
India sit on the backfoot at the end of the opening day despite the wicket of Usman Khawaja in the final moments. The visitors crawled to 185 on the back of a late push from Bumrah, whp made 22 after a valiant fight of 40 from Pant. India sent Australia to stumps of Day 1 at 9/1.
