Image: Rohit Sharma dropped himself from the Sydney Test due to poor form / © Cricket Pakistan
After the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025, Rohit Sharma opened up about his absence from the fifth and final Test in Sydney, which raised eyebrows at the time. Rohit, who had been enduring a poor run with the bat, averaging just 10.93 over his last nine Test matches, decided to step aside to prioritise the team’s needs. Speaking on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, the 37-year-old skipper admitted he wasn’t timing the ball well and believed it was the right moment to bring in Shubman Gill, who had missed the previous Test.
Rohit consulted with the coach and selectors before making the selfless decision, saying, “You try to put the team first and make the decision accordingly”. His move was praised by stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah, who highlighted the unity and lack of selfishness within the squad.
Despite the internal gesture of leadership, India lost the Test in Sydney by six wickets, resulting in a 3-1 series defeat and handing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy back to Australia after 10 years. Rohit’s transparency about his form and commitment to the team-first approach stands as a rare example of accountability in elite-level sport.