India skipper Rohit Sharma's future in Test cricket is being speculated ever since he 'opted' to rest out of the New Year Test against Australia in Sydney. He didn't come out for the national anthem at the start and his name was missing from the team sheet as well which was signed by head coach Gautam Gambhir. He was seen sitting in the area outside the dressing room during the play and it seems, the man has played his last Test for India.
According to a report in the Indian Express, the selectors, Ajit Agarkar, to be precise, conveyed to Rohit that he is not in their plans anymore going forward in Test cricket. Moreover, it is also understood that the selectors will also sit with Virat Kohli to discuss the way forward in the longest format after the Australia tour.
Coming back to Rohit Sharma, he opted not to play in Sydney after the meeting with the chairman of the selectors. He was already struggling with the bat registering scores of 3, 6, 10, 3 and 9 in five innings and never looked comfortable in the middle. At the toss on the morning of the Sydney Test, Jasprit Bumrah praised Rohit for showing leadership by sitting out for the sake of the team.
"Obviously, our captain (Rohit) has shown his leadership as well. He’s opted to rest in this game. So that shows that there’s a lot of unity in our team. There’s no selfishness. Whatever is in the team’s best interest, we’re looking to do that,” he said. Meanwhile, Rohit's absence didn't change India's fortune with the bat as the visitors were skittled for 185 runs after opting to bat. Australia finished the day on 9/1 with Bumrah dismissing Usman Khawaja on the last ball of the day.
