India is gearing up for the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with Jasprit Bumrah stepping in as captain after Rohit Sharma decided to take a break. Rohit, who is 37, informed head coach Gautam Gambhir and selector Ajit Agarkar about his choice to sit this one out, and they responded positively.

This comes just a day after some unrest was reported in the Indian dressing room. Rohit made a brief appearance at practice before the big match of the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gambhir addressed the rumors during a pre-match press conference, assuring everyone that Rohit is fine and downplayed any concerns. He mentioned that they would assess the pitch and finalize the team the next day.

Gambhir's comments seemed to hint at Rohit's likely absence from the decisive match, a feeling that grew stronger as the day went on. During practice, Rohit, Bumrah, and Gambhir were seen chatting for a while, but Rohit's batting session was cut short, and he was just in a sweatshirt, indicating it was more of a warm-up than a serious practice.

It looks like Bumrah will be the one leading the toss at 4:30 AM India time. He previously captained India to a solid 295-run victory in Perth back in November. With the series hanging in the balance—India needs to win at SCG to level things up and keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy—Bumrah is the perfect choice to rally the team. If Rohit doesn't play on Friday, this could mark the end of his Test career, especially with the new World Test Championship on the horizon..

India has to clinch the Sydney Test

Rohit's break also opens the door for Shubman Gill to step in at No. 3. The young Indian player, who scored 28 and 31 in Adelaide, didn’t really do anything wrong to get dropped, but he was left out due to team dynamics. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, who set a record 201-run partnership at the Optus Stadium in the first match of the series, will kick off the innings.

Even though Rohit started last year strong—drawing the Test series in South Africa and beating England 4-1, with two centuries—his performance in the latter half of 2024 has been pretty dismal. His form has hit rock bottom, averaging just 24.56 in Tests. He struggled with the bat, managing only 91 runs in three Tests against New Zealand, leading to India’s first home series loss in 12 years.

To add to his woes, Rohit's performance in Australia has been abysmal—31 runs across 3 Tests, with scores of 3, 6, 10, 3, and 9, marking the worst showing by a visiting batter in Australia. Whether he was rested or dropped, Rohit's choice is unprecedented in Indian cricket history, as no captain has ever taken a step back with so much at stake. We've seen captains like Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli struggle with form, but none have opted out, especially during a series against Australia.

If this is indeed the end for Rohit, he would wrap up his Test career with 4,301 runs from 67 matches, averaging 40.57 with 12 centuries. Since taking over as captain in January 2022 after Virat Kohli stepped down, Rohit has led India to significant series victories against Australia and England at home. Under his leadership, India also made it to the final of the second World Test Championship, finishing as runners-up.

Read Also: Could Shubman Gill Captain India in Sydney? Ex-Cricketer Sparks Speculation

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!