Rohit Sharma.
Credit: PTI Photo
Sydney: The overcast skies above the Sydney Cricket Ground mirrored the uncertainty that hung over the Indian cricket team on Friday morning. Amidst showers and heavy speculation, the focus was squarely on Rohit Sharma as he mingled with teammates during warmups.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir’s evasiveness earlier on Thursday had already fueled a whirlwind of theories about Rohit’s status in the playing XI, the lack of clarity triggering a media frenzy and leaving fans to piece together information from unofficial sources.
The confirmation of Rohit's exclusion came when Jasprit Bumrah, donning the captain’s blazer, stepped out for the toss. "Our captain has shown leadership, he has opted to rest," said Bumrah at the toss that India won and opted to bat. "It shows the unity we have in the team," he added.
Despite his attempts at maintaining a jovial demeanour, it was evident that Rohit's mind was a cauldron of outrage and disappointment not just because of the exclusion from the playing XI but the manner in which that decision had been arrived at.
But then opacity, intrigue and disdain -- not necessarily in that order -- have characterised the functioning of the Board of Control for Cricket in India all along. Rohit's stature as a modern-day batting legend and as incumbent captain demanded a level of transparency and respect in handling his availability or exclusion.
Contrast this with Cricket Australia's news conference on match-eve media address which skipper Pat Cummins addressed. Beau Webster was confirmed as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh and doubts over Mitchell Starc's availability were cleared.
While no one is asking the team to reveal its playing XI, a decision as important as keeping a sitting captain out of the playing XI purely for cricketing reasons, perhaps the first of its kind in Indian cricket, shouldn't have been left to suppositions and surmises. The cloak of secrecy about the decision until the toss was at once baffling and eminently avoidable.
With 31 runs from five innings in this series alone, Rohit's extended run of low scores had his place in the team compromised. What compounded the problem for the 37-year-old was his decision to disturb a successful opening pair -- Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul -- and push himself up to the top in order to revive his sagging fortunes with the bat.
The move to open the innings also entailed keeping Shubman Gill out of the playing XI. Each of these moves failed, piling pressure on himself and the rest of the team management.
Was Gambhir right in sitting Rohit out? The answer would be an emphatic yes, purely from a cricketing point of view and team's perspective. Was it done in the right manner? Definitely not.
And just like that, Rohit's red-ball career may have come to an end. While he may still continue playing ODIs, at least till the Champions Trophy, which is about one and half months away, Boxing Day Test may have been his last in the traditional format.
Having found a second wind to his Test career as an opener under Virat Kohli in 2019, the Mumbaikar did remarkably well against most expectations. His success in England was particularly impressive that enhanced his stature as a Test batter, culminating in his captaincy. It deserved a better ending, fitting his stature in Indian cricket.