Former Australian captain and cricket pundit Mark Taylor didn’t hold back his opinions regarding Rohit Sharma’s absence from the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Speaking to Triple M Cricket, Taylor criticized India’s claim of “resting” Rohit, suggesting the term masked a much simpler truth: the Indian skipper was dropped due to poor form.
“Just Say He’s Dropped” – Mark Taylor’s Blunt Take on Rohit Sharma
Taylor expressed disbelief over the decision to rest Rohit Sharma, especially in such a critical match. He labelled the explanation a poor attempt to soften the blow of a captain’s exclusion.
“The bottom line is, the captain of a country does not opt out for the final Test Match, the deciding Test Match of a series. There’s no doubt he’s been dropped, and I don’t know why they don’t just say it,” said Taylor.
He further explained that being dropped isn’t a crime in professional cricket. “It doesn’t mean he’s been dropped forever. It just means he’s been dropped from this Test because he’s out of form. That’s not a crime. That’s professional sport,” Taylor added.
Rohit Sharma’s performance in the ongoing series has been far from his usual standards. Across three matches, he has managed only 31 runs at a paltry average of 6.20. Such a streak led him to make way for Shubman Gill in the playing XI.
Rohit’s absence also saw Jasprit Bumrah stepping up as captain. Bumrah has proven his leadership mettle before, having led India to victory in the first Test of the series in Perth.
Bumrah Steps In for Rohit Sharma at the SCG
In Rohit’s absence, Jasprit Bumrah has taken over as the captain of the Indian Team. Bumrah previously captained the Indian Team to victory during the First Test of the series in Perth.
At the toss, Bumrah appeared focused and upbeat about the challenge ahead. “We are looking to bat first. We’ve played some good cricket. The last match was exciting. The grass doesn’t look spicy. We always have learned to digest defeats. We will look forward to this,” Bumrah said confidently.
India made two changes for the game. Shubman Gill replaced Rohit Sharma, while pacer Prasidh Krishna came in for Akash Deep, who is nursing a back injury.
The SCG Test is a make-or-break encounter for India. A victory keeps their hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship Final alive. A loss or draw, however, would shatter their dreams and mark the end of their journey in this cycle’s campaign.
The cryptic tone of Sundaresan’s remark only fueled speculation. Fans debated whether there was more to Rohit’s absence than met the eye.
For India, this SCG Test is nothing short of critical. A victory keeps their hopes alive for the World Test Championship Final. A loss or a draw, however, would end their journey.
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