Rohit Sharma's future in the Indian Test team has been a hot topic lately, especially after his disappointing performance with the bat since September. Just before the fifth and final Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, he reportedly decided to sit out of the playing XI. With only 31 runs in the series, Rohit has recorded the lowest average (6.20) for a touring captain in Australia. Shubman Gill is set to take his place, while KL Rahul is expected to open the batting in Sydney.

Earlier reports suggested that Rohit himself told coach Gautam Gambhir and selector Ajit Agarkar about his decision to step back, and they were on board with it. However, a new report from PTI claims that it was actually Gambhir who made the call to drop the 37-year-old, focusing on securing a win in Sydney. This victory is crucial not just for retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also for keeping India's slim hopes alive for a spot in the World Test Championship final for the third consecutive time.

The report also mentioned that a respected cricket administrator from the BCCI had urged Gambhir to let Rohit play in Sydney and retire from Test cricket afterward. However, the head coach turned down the request, prioritizing the team's chances of winning in Sydney and staying in the race for the WTC final.

What did Gambhir say about Rohit in the pre-match press conference?

In a pretty tense press conference in Sydney before the big series finale, Gambhir, who stepped in for Rohit at the media event, was pretty tight-lipped about whether the Indian captain would be in the lineup for the last match.

When asked about Rohit's absence, the former India cricketer replied, “Everything is good with Rohit. The head coach is here, so that should be enough. We’ll check out the pitch and finalize the playing XI tomorrow.”

When pressed about Rohit's chances of making the XI in Sydney, Gambhir reiterated, “I just mentioned that we’ll assess the wicket and announce the playing eleven tomorrow. The answer hasn’t changed.”

Even though Rohit was seen at the nets on Thursday, the rumors started to swirl a bit when the 37-year-old wasn’t part of the slip cordon during India’s fielding drills at the SCG.

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