Long rope for Rohit nears end?

new delhi: Rohit Sharma ‘opting out’ of the Friday’s final Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a new low.

On Thursday, coach Gautam Gambhir came out and spoke. He looked serious and was also stern. When he spoke of hard stuff and discipline it was clear what appeared in the media on Wednesday in ‘dressing room leaks’ is true. At the same time, when Gambhir was asked on team composition, he said Akash Deep is out with an injury.

Pressed for the Playing XI, Gambhir said, wait for the toss, “that a call on the playing XI will be taken after looking at the pitch”. Surprisingly, Rohit was not at the press conference. By night, Sydney time, it had become public that Rohit himself opted out.

The ‘dressing room leaks’ has caused a lot of negativity and is bound to lead to stern action as well. It is not that Rohit will be the only one to be ‘hit’ because of this. He is woefully out of form and does not deserve a place in the playing XI.

Sadly, a hero who was celebrated as winning captain of the ICC T20 World Cup in June 2024 has been marginalised. If one turns a crystal ball gazer, Rohit may never play a Test again. His form has been wretched, with an overall tally of 31 runs in the ongoing series bespeaking his batting woes. Perhaps, the BCCI will ask him to lead in the Champions Trophy. For the Test series in England, there could be a new captain and Rohit may find himself out of the squad.

For those who ask if he deserves a farewell, already, Indian cricket is not kind to all. How Ravichandran Ashwin flew back to Chennai after the third Test was so shocking. He kept quiet, felt unwanted and preferred to be home with his family. It was goodbye international cricket.

Maybe, Rohit knows his time is up in Test cricket. Yes, if you analyse what all he had done for Indian cricket as a batter and skipper, he is a legend. But then, in sports, one has to perform as well. Legacy does not mean you take your place for granted. That’s a rare luxury. If people like Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer have been told to play domestic cricket, Rohit is beyond that. He cannot be an Ajinkya Rahane who still keeps slogging and scoring runs in domestic cricket. For that matter, Cheteshwar Pujara has also continued to play domestic cricket. Sadly, there will be no room for Pujara and Rahane. Rohit may still lead in the ODI format.

Recalling Rohit’s legacy in Test cricket, he started as a middle-order batter and then moved to the top. His batting template has been aggressive, yet if he accused Rishabh Pant of not staying there and doing the job in Melbourne, Rohit has to look inwards. The Mumbaikar has been a massive failure. The will to bounce back could have been only one way, score runs. For that, he needed to dig in and score in domestic cricket. He stayed away, a big mistake.

Nobody can take his place for granted in the Indian side. It is also now obvious there is friction between Rohit and Gambhir. Had there been harmony, the ‘dressing room leaks’ would not have taken place.

Way forward, India must play positive cricket in Sydney and square the series. There are more questions than answers. This is not the ideal way Indian cricket should begin its new year. Imagine, a captain having to step aside. Make way for another player, Shubman Gill.