India captain Rohit Sharma has revealed that his decision to withdraw from the Sydney Test during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year was not entirely mutual and involved a heated discussion with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Having endured a lean patch with the bat, failing in five consecutive innings after playing the Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne Tests, Rohit chose to step aside to make room for Shubman Gill, who had missed the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
“We somehow wanted Gill to play, he`s such a good player. He missed out in the previous Test match. I`m like… okay, if I`m not hitting the ball well, it is right now. Things can change five days later, ten days later,” Rohit shared with former Australian captain Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
The decision, however, wasn’t without internal debate. “I spoke to the coach and the selector, and they kind of agreed, not agreed,….there was an argument around it,” he admitted.
Rohit, known for his team-first mindset, emphasised that his leadership has always been about prioritising the team’s interests above individual goals. “You try and put the team first, you just look at what the team wants, and make the decision accordingly. Sometimes it will work, sometimes it may not. That`s how it goes. Every decision you try and make, you aren`t guaranteed success.”
Reflecting on his own form, Rohit explained how he reached the decision to step away. “I didn`t have a great game (in Adelaide). Then I went back to the room, and I was like, I should have opened man. I would rather fail doing what I do and where I do it. That`s my place, that`s my position. I would rather go there and bat, whether I get success or not, it`s a different story. But I`m in my natural position for the team.”
He initially considered continuing through the Brisbane Test. “And I said, no. It`s only one game. Let`s not overthink, let`s give it another game. It`s 1-1. We can try and change things around in Brisbane. And then, it was a draw. When we got back to Melbourne, we changed our mind. I went back to open the innings.”
Rohit also acknowledged that he wasn’t the only one struggling with form, mentioning Virat Kohli’s slump following his century in Perth. “In the last Test match… I had to be honest with myself. I wasn`t hitting the ball well. I didn`t want to put myself there only because we had dropped the other guys who were struggling as well.”
As a leader, Rohit underlined the need to lead by example and instill a team-oriented mentality. “Since I started captaining the national team, I just felt that not just me but rest of the guys also need to think alike and put the team first, do what is necessary for the team, and not worry about my runs, my score and my hundred, my five wickets.”
“Because it is important, you are playing team sport, if you get 100 and not cross the finishing line, what`s the use…”
