Ex-India Cricketer Suggests Rohit Sharma To Opt Out Of Sydney Test
Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan believes that the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma should drop himself from the upcoming Sydney Test Playing XI. Rohit is under the scanner of everyone for his captaincy and current form, which is why the former player Wassan also feels that the team needs to have its best playing XI to win the Sydney Test. In the upcoming scenario, India must win the forthcoming Test to draw the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India won the first Test of the series when Rohit was unavailable, and in his absence, Jasprit Bumrah handled the captaincy role very well and won the Test by a big margin of 295 runs in Perth. After that, India lost the second Test in Adelaide, the third went to a draw in Brisbane, and the fourth Test in Melbourne was lost by India under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
Atul Wassan said that he feels very sorry because they are very big players, and seeing them struggling hurts. This is the end of their career, and it is a very hard decision for Rohit. He is a great player, but when he's struggling, as a captain, he can earn huge respect in everyone's eyes by saying that he'll drop himself.
"I feel sorry. They are such big players. It hurts when you see them struggle. This is the end of your career. See, what happens is... if you leave it too late—because there are millions of fans, and I know I will get a lot of abuses today—people who are fans, will get these memories etched, seeing their favorite players struggling. You don't want to leave the sport with these memories. It's a hard decision, more so for Rohit. He also knows that he's been a great player, but when he's struggling, as a captain, he can earn huge respect in my eyes if he says, 'OK, I'll drop myself.' What will happen? In a team sport, you should pick the best XI players and then choose the captain. Not the other way around."
Further, he said that Rohit's shot selection was very bad, and batting in the middle order disturbed his focus and attention.
"Just see the way he played that shot in the first innings. On any given day, that old Rohit Sharma would have put it over midwicket. But he went for the shot, because it's his trigger—and realized, 'Oh my god,' and stopped. It looked uglier. He knows his state of mind. It's not like he's any less of a player. He can come back also, but if he says, 'I am not in the best of mind frames."
Rohit's concern did not start in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but it has been a reason for concern long before. He scored just 91 runs at an average of 15.16 against New Zealand with one half-century. However, this became worse in the ongoing series, scoring 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.2. The only option left for him to prove his worth is the final Test in Sydney and earn back his position.