Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has made a staggering revelation involving former India Test captain Rohit Sharma during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 on Australian soil. Pathan mentioned that after Rohit opted out of the fifth and final Test in Sydney, there was an interview with broadcasters on Day 2 at the lunch break that became a focal point. He stated that despite Rohit's below par performances in the 2024-25 season, they felt obligated to publicly back him as he interviewed the then-Test captain.
Rohit’s struggles in his last Test season
Highlighting Sharma’s struggles in Test cricket, Pathan pointed out his poor run last year. Across eight Tests against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia, the 37-year-old managed to score only 164 runs, registering just one half-century. During the tour of Australia, where he featured in three Tests, Rohit scored 31 runs, where he dreadfully averaged 6.20 — the lowest ever by a visiting captain in Australia (minimum five innings).
Pathan on backing Rohit as Test captain
The 40-year-old Pathan also remarked that had Sharma not been the captain, he would have been dropped from the playing XI due to such underwhelming performances.
“Rohit Sharma is an amazing player in white-ball cricket, but his average in Test cricket that year was 6, so we said that if he was not the captain, he would not have had a place in the team, and this is true,” Pathan told Lallantop.
"People say that we supported Rohit Sharma more than necessary. Of course, when someone comes to interview on your broadcasting channel, you will not misbehave with them, right? You have invited him, so you will behave politely. When Rohit came to interview, we were, of course, polite, and we had to show that, because he was our guest. So that was connected and said we were supporting him, but it was we who said...we had said that he should keep fighting, but that said, he should not have had a place in the playing XI. If he was not the captain of the team, he would have been dropped," he added.
Rohit retires after Ranji return
During the interview, Rohit made it clear that he is not retiring from Tests. Upon coming back to India, he played for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, registering scores of 3 and 28 against Jammy & Kashmir. However, he announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the squad announcement for England tour.