NEW DELHI: India skipper Rohit Sharma has been dropped for the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskrar Trophy that begins in Sydney from January 3.
The development, as reported by TimesofIndia.com, comes as a massive judgement call from the team management, which has all but decided the fate of the 37-year-old in the longest format of the game.
With India trailing 2-1 in the series and World Test Championship Final spot on the line, the Gautam Gambhir-led selection has made the hard call to drop the skipper, who had earlier missed the first Test due to personal reasons.But what caused the skipper’s omission from the final BGT Test?
Having missed the series opener, which India won by 295 runs under Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit returned to lead India in the second game.
However, his inclusion in the side took the team combination for a toss. That led to India losing the day-night Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets.
To go with that, a returning Rohit scored a lowly 3 and 6 in the two innings of the Pink-ball game at his new no.6 spot.
Following the Adelaide disaster, Rohit flopped in the drawn Brisbane Test as well, where he once again batted at his changed no.6 slot but only managed 10 runs in the first innings.
After flopping twice at the no.6 slot, Rohit then decided that he will open in the Boxing Day Test and that led to a series of changes in the XI.
But once again, Rohit’s accommodation at the top didn’t work as he scored 3 and 9 in Melbourne and India subsequently lost the match by 184 runs.
Rohit’s numbers in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Tests – 3
Innings – 5
Runs – 31
Highest score – 10
Average – 6.20
“I stand where I am standing today. There’s nothing to think about what has happened in the past. Obviously, few results haven’t gone our way. As a captain, yes, that is disappointing. Yes, as a batter as well, a lot of things that I am trying to do are not falling into place. But, mentally, it’s disturbing without a doubt.
“If you have come here, you want to successfully do what you are supposed to. If those things don’t fall in place, that’s a big disappointment,” Rohit had said in the post-match presser after the Boxing Day Test at MCG.
In Thursday’s final practice session, Rohit also gave enough hints that he might have already played in his last Test.
With the writing on the wall, the announcement of India’s playing XI tomorrow will all but confirm Rohit’s future in Test cricket.
