Rohit retreats: Bumrah lauds skipper's leadership; Pant says it's emotional

Rohit made the call after scoring 31 runs in five innings across three Tests.

Sydney: In an unprecedented turn of events, India skipper Rohit Sharma "opted to rest" himself from the fifth and final Test against Australia after a series of underwhelming performances, a move that put his future in doubt and evoked emotional responses from his successor Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant.

Rohit on Friday "opted to rest" from the series finale, having scored only 31 runs across five innings in three Tests. He made way for Shubman Gill in the do-or-die game of the series.

Rohit's decision handed his deputy Bumrah the leadership role. Bumrah had captained the side in the series-opener as well when Rohit took a short paternity break. India won that match in Perth by 295 runs, their only victory on the tour so far.

"Our captain has shown leadership, he has opted to rest," said Bumrah at the toss.

"It shows the unity we have in the team," he added in front of a packed arena, trying to put an end to talks of dissension in the dressing room.

The day, however, ended with India struggling yet again, dismissed for 185 after opting to bat.

Pant top-scored with a restrained 98-ball 40 and once he was done talking about how much it took for him to curb his aggressive instincts, the chirpy wicketkeeper-batter was asked about his thoughts on Rohit and his unparalleled decision.

"It was an emotional moment. He is our leader but it's a team management call (of which Rohit is a part). I was not part of the conversations and can't say more," he said.

The 37-year-old white-ball great looked like a pale shadow of himself in those innings, struggling to execute even his bread and butter shots including the trademark front foot pull.

During the customary pre-match warm-up session, Rohit was seen playing football with Virat Kohli, Pant and Sarfaraz Khan, who along with Abhimanyu Easwaran will end the series without getting an international game.

After this, Rohit was seen engaged in a discussion with the team's video analyst Hari Prasad. He left the outfield close to the toss time before Bumrah walked out to a loud roar from the capacity crowd.

When the TV cameras panned on him, Rohit was seen sitting outside the dressing room with fielding coach Ryan Ten Doeschate by his side. Head coach Gautam Gambhir sat a distance from the duo.

Former India player Sanjay Manjrekar lauded Rohit for his decision.

"So typical of Rohit Sharma. Doing the right thing, doing what’s right for the team. But could not understand the 'cloak & dagger' around the issue. Wasn't even talked about at the toss," he posted on 'X'.

Looking at India's practice session on the eve of the game it was clear that Rohit was going to sit out.

The speculation over his future in the longest format also gained momentum after India lost the fourth Test in Melbourne to trail the five-match series 1-2.

The year 2024 turned out to be the least productive year for Rohit in Test cricket as he collected 619 runs in 26 innings across 14 matches averaging 24.76.

Having played his 67th five-day game in Melbourne, Rohit is also being expected to call time on his roller-coaster Test career soon.

Rohit could not replicate his stellar success in white ball cricket over the course of his 11-year Test career.

After not realising his potential in the middle-order following his debut in 2013, Rohit's red ball career got a second wing in 2019 when he started opening.

Last year Rohit guided India to a much-awaited T20 World Cup title but his performances dropped drastically in the traditional format.

His longtime teammate and former captain Virat Kohli is also facing criticism for his repeated dismissals outside the off-stump in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy thus far.