Rohit Sharma explains reason behind dropping himself from Sydney Test against Australia

India captain dropped himself from the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney earlier in the year. The veteran was struggling to get going, having scored 31 runs in five innings and ahead of the fifth Test, there were talks of Rohit announcing his retirement from the format. However, the Mumbai-born only dropped himself from the playing XI as he later wished to keep playing Test cricket, especially in the upcoming series against England.

Meanwhile, the 37-year-old opened up on the reason behind dropping himself from the Sydney Test. He talked about the importance of keeping the tea, ahead of oneself and mentioned of giving the opportunity to , who was dropped from the fourth Test in Melbourne to make room for Rohit. “I have to be honest to myself, I wasn’t hitting the ball well – we somehow wanted Gill to play, he is such a good player, he missed out on the previous Test – I spoke to the coach, the selector – they kind of agreed, not agreed – you try to put the team first and what team wants, make the decision accordingly – that is how it goes,” Rohit said in Beyond23 podcast.



Since the New Zealand series in October, Rohit’s form has been a matter of concern. The veteran batter has failed to live up the potential in the ongoing Indian Premier League ( ) as well, which put him in an extremely difficult spot. The recently Champions Trophy-winning captain previously expressed desire to continue playing until the 2027 ODI World Cup but unless his form improves, it might prove to be a difficult task.

Notably, in the ongoing IPL, Rohit has scored only 56 runs in five matches. He is mostly playing as an Impact sub, which is not a good sign, particularly for an Indian captain..