Rohit Sharma may have played his final Test match after India coach Gautam Gambhir refused to confirm whether his captain would play in the final game of the series against Australia in Sydney.
The home side sealed a thrilling 184-run victory at Melbourne Cricket Ground to take a 2-1 series lead after a superb bowling performance in the evening session saw Australia take the final seven wickets for just 34 runs.
Opener Rohit continued his miserable run of form by scoring three and nine at the MCG and has failed to get past 10 runs in any of his five innings in Australia – averaging just 6.2 – increasing speculation that the veteran batter was set to be axed.
The captain was not at India's eve-of-match press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground with Gambhir facing the media but offering no confirmation of Rohit's fate.
“Everything is fine with Rohit and I don't think it's anything traditional,” he said when asked why Rohit was absent from the usual media duties.
“The head coach is here and that should be good enough. We are going to have a look at the wicket and finalise [the team] tomorrow.”
Asked again if 37-year-old Rohit would be part of that team, Gambhir responded: “As I just said, we're going to have a look at the wicket and probably announce the playing XI tomorrow. So the answer remains the same.”
Rohit missed the first Test in Perth for the birth of his second child, with Jasprit Bumrah assuming the captaincy and guided India to their only win of the five-match series so far.
Reports in the media suggest that he was already thinking about retiring at the end of the Sydney Test after a red-ball career that has seen score 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57, notching 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries in the process.
“As a batter as well, a lot of the things that I am trying to do is not falling in the place that I would want to,” Rohit said after the defeat in Melbourne. “But mentally, it is disturbing without a doubt.”
Fellow veteran Virat Kohli is another star India batter short of form. Aside from his unbeaten century in Perth, the 36-year-old has struggled for runs, managing 36 and five in the previous Test.
In contrast, younger batsmen such as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Kumar Reddy have excelled, with the latter producing a magnificent knock of 114 to rescue his team in the first innings at the MCG
“It is not about phasing out senior players or getting the youngsters in,” Gambhir added. “Ultimately the only thing that can keep you in that dressing room is performance.”
Gambhir did confirm that pace bowler Akash Deep was out of the match with a back issue and denied media reports that he had read the riot act to his team after the loss in Melbourne.
“Those are just reports,” he said. “That's not the truth, and I don't think I need to answer to any reports.
“There were some honest words, that's all I can say. Honesty is extremely important if you want to probably go on to do great things.”
Australia, meanwhile, will regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014-15 if they win in Sydney. A win by India and a drawn series at 2-2 would allow the visitors to retain the trophy for a record-extending fifth consecutive time.
But more importantly for Australia, a win at the SCG would book the team's spot in a second consecutive World Test Championship final. Australia beat India in the 2023 decider.
South Africa became the first team to qualify for the WTC final at Lord's in June by winning a dramatic match at home to Pakistan last weekend.
Australia have dropped all-rounder Mitch Marsh, giving Beau Webster a Test debut. Fast-bowler Mitchell Starc was also named in the starting XI despite dealing with rib soreness in Melbourne.
“Mitchy obviously hasn’t quite got the runs, and perhaps wickets this series,” captain Pat Cummins said on Thursday. “So we felt like it was time for a freshen up and Beau’s been great. It’s a shame for Mitchy, because we know how much he brings to the team, but feel like now it’s a good week for Beau to get a chance.”
