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Admitting his form slump, India captain Rohit Sharma took a bold call and decided to drop himself from the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Rohit Sharma's call to opt out of Sydney Test, left everyone speculating about his Test retirement, however, Hitman made it clear on the sidelines of the match that he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. India's batting maestro and T20 World Cup 2024-winning skipper on being asked about who should be Men in Blue's next captain, said, it should be earned.
Rohit Sharma on India's next captain
“It is difficult to say. It is very difficult to say. There are many boys. But I want them to understand the importance of cricket first. Understand the importance of this place. They are new boys. I know they should be given responsibility. But let them earn it," Rohit told Star Sports.
“No one has got it in a plate. No one should get it like this. Let them work hard. There is a lot of talent in the boys. But at the same time, I also want to say that it is not easy to become the captain of India. There is pressure. But it is a great honour. Our history and the way we play cricket has a great responsibility on both shoulders. So let them earn it,” he added.
Jasprit Bumrah, who led India to an emphatic 195-run win over Australia in series opener in Perth, took over the captaincy mantle in Sydney showdown in Rohit's absence. Rohit was all praise for Jasprit Bumrah's captaincy. He said that Bumrah sets an example of his bowling for others.
“Of course, he has a lot of game ideas. The way he sets an example of his bowling for others, that is class. He has class. He understands the game. He always keeps the team ahead. I have been watching him for the last 11 years. I saw him for the first time in 2013. His graph has also gone up. He has evolved a lot in himself. With his game, with his thinking. The way he is bowling, the whole world is watching. But yes, he has gone strength to strength,” Rohit further stated.
Rohit Sharma reveals reason behind opting out of Sydney Test
Rohit also revealed reason behind sitting himself out of fifth Test against Australia. He openly admitted that he wasn't scoring runs and wasn't in best of the form which prompted him to take the bold call.
"I stood down that is what I would say. The chat that I had with the coach and selector, was very simple that I was not able to score runs with the bat. I am not in form. This is an important match, we needed a win. We couldn't carry many out of form players. They backed my decision, which was difficult for me to take," India captain said.
"The thought process was going for quite some time. The decision was taken after coming here. After Melbourne there was New Years's day. On that day, I did not want to tell the coach and selector about this. I was trying but could not score and it was important for me step aside from this match," he concluded.
Talking about the match, India bowled out Australia for 181 to take a four-run lead in the first innings on Day 4 of the Sydney Test. India rode on Mohammed Siraj (3/51), Prasidh Krishna (4/42), and Nitish Reddy's (2/32) to keep Australian batters in check. Captain Jasprit Bumrah too contributed with 2/33 but had to leave the field for scans due to an unspecified injury. Beau Webster was the top scorer for Australia as the he cracked a brilliant 57 off 105 balls on his debut.
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