Veteran batsman Rohit Sharma has not been included in India's reserve list for the fifth Test against Australia during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). Rohit Sharma was seen having an animated discussion with head coach Gautam Gambhir before bowler Jasprit Bumrah took over the captaincy.
The 37-year-old has struggled for form in the ongoing series, scoring just 31 runs in five innings. Sharma's captaincy has also been criticized after India lost two of the last three Tests in BGT 2024-25. During the practice session on Thursday, it became apparent that Rohit would not play in the fifth Test.
BCCI drops Rohit Sharma from reserve list for fifth Test
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the official team sheet moments after the draw in Sydney on Friday, January 3. The team sheet distributed did not include Rohit Sharma's name, not even in the list of reserve players. Notably, no official statement has been made by the BCCI regarding Rohit's absence.
Shubman Gill and Prasidh Krishna returned to the playing XI for the series finale. Krishna replaced Akash Deep, who was ruled out of the match due to injury. The team sheet also included other in-form members in the squad: Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Harshit Rana.
Rohit is not even in the team sheet, woah!!! pic.twitter.com/OjvJjgYJXO
— Rohann (@rohannadhikari) January 2, 2025
Watch: Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir engage in animated chat
Interestingly, Rohit Sharma was seen having a lively discussion with Gautam Gambhir before the start of the New Year Test. Skipper Jasprit Bumrah said Rohit had decided to rest, but videos showed him visibly upset as he spoke to Gambhir, who responded calmly.
Bumrah, who was part of the conversation, eventually emerged as captain and won the crucial toss. Reports suggest that there were differences between Rohit and Gambhir over selection decisions.
“The Indian Express article for me was just a trigger of simmering uncertainty…”@beastieboy07 about all the reports coming from the Indian camp in the last two days and what he heard… #AUSWIND pic.twitter.com/SpX02eLT5q
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 2, 2025
Country captain not opting for a final – Mark Taylor
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor has criticized India's handling of Rohit Sharma's absence from the fifth Test. Speaking to Triple M Cricket, Taylor said that India should be upfront about the situation, stating that Rohit's absence was due to his withdrawal from this match.
“To be honest, that again misses the point. The bottom line is that the country's captain is not opting for a series-deciding Test match. There is no doubt that he has been dropped and I don't know why. I just don't say it Taylor said.
“He was dropped. It doesn't mean he's dropped forever. It means he's missing this Test match because he wasn't fit. That's not a crime. Unfortunately, it's a professional sport. That's what happened and Shubman Gill is coming back. “, he added.
Rohit's continued poor form has been evident since the home series against Bangladesh, where he averaged under 11 in 15 innings and scored just one half-century. The year 2024 was a challenge for him as he amassed just 619 runs in 26 innings in 14 Tests at an average of 24.76.
Read also: Rohit Sharma set to announce retirement after Sydney Test? The report reveals the truth