IND vs AUS, 5th Test: ‘This is not a retirement decision,’ says Rohit Sharma after ‘stepping down’ in Sydney
IND vs AUS, 5th Test: ‘This is not a retirement decision,’ says Rohit Sharma after ‘stepping down’ in Sydney
Rohit Sharma on Saturday said he ‘stepped down’ from the playing lineup ahead of the fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney owing to his poor run of form.
“The chat I had was very simple. I said I am not scoring runs and we need players who are scoring runs in this important match. I wanted to tell this to the coach and the selectors. They backed me in this. It was the sensible decision. I just thought about what I should do for the team,” Rohit told the official broadcaster during the Lunch break on day two.
Rohit managed a total of 31 runs in five innings in the series and the calls to drop him from the side grew as India trialled 1-2 going into the final match of the series.
On the eve of the Test, India head coach Gautam Gambhir said the team will make a final call on Rohit’s selection after assessing the conditions. On when him and the side took the decision, Rohit said, “I took this decision in Sydney, we just had two days after the Melbourne Test. But this had been playing on my mind. You have to accept it at times when you cannot score runs even if you try your best.”
Rohit missed the Perth Test after the birth of his child and joined the team for the Pink-ball Test in Adelaide.
“When I arrived in Perth it was evident why we won the first Test. The game could have gone either way after the first innings but the 200-run partnership changed the game for us. Bowlers get help here in Australia, it is not easy to bat. But Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul put us in a match-winning situation. I tried to keep that intact,” Rohit said.
Rohit said the decision to opt out of the fifth Test has little bearing on his call to retire from the sport.
“I do not get ahead of myself. I do not think of things five months down the line. I see what needs to be done in the immediate future. This is not a retirement decision. I do not intend to leave the sport. I am just out because I am out of form. You do not know what happens in the future. I might start scoring, I might not. But I have a belief that I can come back. That being said, I have to be realistic as well,” Rohit said.
On the media reports hinting at a rift in the Indian dressing room, Rohit said, ”All our boys are made of steel. We cannot control what is out of our hands. The boys know that and they are focussed on their game.”
