The Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 was on the line. Australia had gained a 2-1 lead before the final Test of the 5-match series. India had to go for broke. They had retained the BGT for the last decade, both home and away, and didn’t want that streak to be broken. Knowing what stood on the line, India’s captain Rohit Sharma dropped himself.
Rohit Sharma’s form before dropping himself
The pressure was bubbling on him. And not just from the outside. Rohit had been in a run of form. He’d played 5 Test matches prior to BGT, against Bangladesh and New Zealand, scoring just 133 runs at 22.16. The Indian captain realised that playing wouldn’t be right for him or the team. So, in Sydney, he handed the captaincy to Jasprit Bumrah. Three months after all this transpired, Rohit has opened up about his decision.
Did Shubman Gill play a role in stepping down?
He knew the team might suffer from his inclusion and that he’d block a certain Shubman Gill from playing. Although his Test career hasn’t blossomed as he’d like to, Gill is expected to take charge from Rohit and Virat Kohli. One mustn’t forget that the 25-year-old is India’s vice-captain in white-ball cricket.
But Gill had to drop to accommodate Rohit in the MCG Test. So, Rohit spoke with Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir and decided that he’d be stepping aside so that Gill gets the chance to play and that Team India can draw the series at 2-2 in Sydney.
“I have to be honest to myself; I wasn’t hitting the ball well – we somehow wanted Gill to play; he is such a good player; he missed out on the previous Test – I spoke to the coach, the selector – they kind of agreed, not agreed – you try to put the team first and what the team wants, make the decision accordingly – that is how it goes,” Rohit told Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
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