Bumrah leads India as Rohit chooses ‘to rest’ in Sydney
India captain Rohit Sharma has “chosen to rest” from the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, according to Jasprit Bumrah who will lead the team in Sydney. Shubman Gill replaced Rohit in the XI and will slot in at No. 3.
The issue of the change in leadership was not addressed directly at the toss at the SCG, with Bumrah only saying: “Our captain has shown his leadership as well, he has chosen to rest from this game. It shows the unity within the team.” Bumrah had captained India to victory in the first Test of the series in Perth when Rohit was on paternity leave.
Rohit had been a peripheral presence as India went through their final preparations ahead of the first ball in Sydney. He and the rest of the team arrived at the ground at 9am but it wasn’t till 15 minutes later that he stepped onto the outfield at the SCG. By that time, Bumrah had gone up to the pitch, got through a spot-bowling routine and checked in with Gautam Gambhir. Rohit stepped onto the ground at 9.15am. He too made a beeline for the pitch, bending down and pressing his hands into it. He played a bit of football with Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant. He was conspicuously quiet at the team huddle with Gambhir and Virat Kohli doing the talking. Finally he left the field at 9.40am after the toss. The reserve players and the support staff lined up on the edge of the boundary for the national anthems but Rohit wasn’t with them.
Speculation around his place in the team began after India lost the fourth Test in Melbourne, where he made scores of 3 and 9, as reports emerged that he was planning to retire from the format at the end of the series. On the eve of the fifth Test, India coach Gautam Gambhir did not confirm or deny whether Rohit would play in Sydney – he only said the XI would be decided after taking a look at the pitch. Rohit did not have as active a training session as some of his team-mates.
He was subsequently left out of a Test that India must win to draw the series and avoid handing over the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia for the first time in ten years. After joining the squad midway through the Perth Test following the birth of his son, Rohit gave up his opening position to KL Rahul, who had played a crucial role at the top of the order as India took a 1-0 lead in the series.
