Rohit Sharma Dropped from India’s 16-Member Squad After Heated Chat with Gautam Gambhir

Rohit Sharma Dropped from India’s 16-Member Squad After Heated Chat with Gautam Gambhir

Rohit Sharma’s name was notably missing from India’s official squad sheet, which was released soon after the toss for the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the SCG in Sydney. This was a shocking development. The person who replaced Rohit at the toss on Friday morning, Jasprit Bumrah, clarified that Rohit had “opted to rest” for it. Nevertheless, the BCCI declined to issue a formal statement through social media or a press release, and Rohit’s name was not mentioned in the squad sheet distributed to the official WhatsApp group—not even in the list of reserve players.

All fit players of India’s official squad, with the exception of Rohit Sharma, were included on the team sheet. The reserves included Devudutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Harshit Rana. Apart from Rohit, pacer Akash Deep was the only player not included on the sheet since he was considered injured.

Following a run of poor results, Rohit decided to skip the Sydney Test. The 37-year-old white-ball mainstay seemed out of form after only managing 31 runs in five innings over three Test matches. He also had trouble executing even his typical characteristic strokes, such as the front pull. The decision was made after India’s pre-match practice, when it was obvious that Rohit would not play.

After India lost the fourth Test in Melbourne, tying the five-match series at 1-2, speculation over his future in the game’s longest format intensified. Rohit, a vital member of the Indian white-ball cricket team, had his least successful year in Test cricket in 2024, amassing just 619 runs at an average of 24.76 from 26 innings in 14 games. Rumors that he would retire from Test cricket have gathered traction after he played his 67th Test match in Melbourne.

Also Read: Rishabh Pant Dropped from India XI as Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir Plan Strict Changes; Akash Deep Ruled Out of Sydney Test

India, on the other hand, chose to bat first and had a challenging innings start. Yashavi Jaiswal (10) and KL Rahul (4) were dismissed early by the Australian pace attack, and Virat Kohli appeared uneasy at the crease even though he survived a near catch appeal. When it appeared that India may prevail in difficult circumstances, Shubman Gill (20) erred by sprinting down the track to Nathan Lyon and edging the ball to first slip on the last ball of lunch.