India's captain Rohit Sharma has reportedly decided to withdraw from the fifth and final Test against Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, as announced on Thursday. The 37-year-old's disappointing performance over the last eight Test matches led him to inform head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar of his decision not to participate in the match scheduled to commence in Sydney on Friday. Should this report be accurate, he would be the first Indian captain to be removed from his position during an ongoing international series.

Rohit has faced significant criticism for accumulating only 164 runs in eight matches since September, with just one half-century to his name. Notably, he has not exceeded 18 runs in his last ten innings, which includes his performance in the home series against New Zealand, where India suffered an unprecedented 0-3 defeat.

In Australia, Rohit was unable to participate in the opening match in Perth due to the arrival of his second child. In his absence, KL Rahul delivered a commendable performance as an opener. To avoid disrupting Rahul's newfound rhythm in the Test format, Rohit chose to bat at No. 6. However, his struggles persisted in Adelaide and Brisbane, and this trend continued even when he returned to the opening position for the fourth Test in Melbourne last week. Another disappointing performance at the MCG resulted in Rohit achieving an average of merely 6.20 in the current series, marking the lowest average recorded by a visiting captain in Australia.

This dismal performance has led to speculation regarding Rohit's future in this format and his inclusion in the playing XI for the upcoming Sydney Test. While Gambhir refrained from commenting on India's strategy, reports indicate that Rohit has decided to withdraw from the match, thereby allowing Shubman Gill to rejoin the lineup, with KL Rahul expected to resume his role as opener.

A list of captains dismissed during an international series

Should Rohit be omitted from the lineup on Friday, he would become the first Indian captain to be sidelined during an international series and the first overall since 2014, when Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq chose to bench himself for the third ODI against Australia, allowing Shahid Afridi to assume leadership in his absence. In that same year, Dinesh Chandimal made the decision to exclude himself from the Sri Lankan team for the last three matches of the T20 World Cup, which included both the semi-final and final, with Lasith Malinga stepping in as captain for those encounters.

The inaugural occurrence of a captain being dropped from the playing eleven during an international series took place during the 1974 Ashes, when England's Mike Denness withdrew from the fourth Test, leading to John Edrich taking charge of the team. Nevertheless, Denness made a notable return in the subsequent Test in Adelaide, where he scored fifty runs in the first innings and followed it up with a commendable 181 in the final match at the MCG, contributing to England's innings victory.

Read Also: Gautam Gambhir Rejects Request for Rohit Sharma's Farewell Match in Sydney

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