Former captain of the Australian national cricket team Ricky Ponting talked about leaving out Rohit Sharma from the Indian XI for the ongoing Sydney Test. He said that the snooping was expected and that it would be difficult to return now.
Rohit Sharma’s last in Test cricket was probably in Melbourne as the captain of the Indian national cricket team was dropped from the team in the last ongoing match. The captain reportedly took a break amid poor form and made a decision in the best interest of the team.
Rohit Sharma looked hot with the bat in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The India captain struggled with his form and averaged around 10 a game serieswhich speaks volumes for his poor outings with the bat in the longest format of the game.
Rohit Sharma was replaced by Shubman Gill, who was dropped from the MCG to accommodate the captain at the top. In his absence, Jasprit Bumrah is leading the team and chances are high that he could take over the Test job permanently.
You’d think it’s probably a long way back for Rohit Sharma now in this format of the game – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting feels Rohit Sharma’s absence was on the cards, adding that it will be a long road back for him. While speaking to the ICC about the development, he explained:
“I think the reaction was that everyone expected it could happen. The talk for the last few days was that everyone expected Rohit not to play this game, Shubman Gill to come back and (Jasprit) Bumrah probably to take over the captaincy again and that’s how it turned out.”
“One would think it’s probably a long way back for Rohit Sharma now in this format of the game. India don’t play a Test match, I believe, until mid-to-late June, which is a long way off when you’re kind of coming to the end of your career.”
I think it’s going to be a long – and probably tough – road for him – Ricky Ponting on Rohit Sharma
Ricky Ponting further hailed Rohit as a great player for India but mentioned that he is at a stage in his career where a comeback will be difficult. He added:
“I think he’s been a great player for India, so with guys like that, wish them the best and hope we see them again, but like I said, I think it’s going to be a long – and probably tough – road back for him. “
So the way they actually worded it, you can just take it for granted – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting further spoke about the reports of Rohit quitting the game, saying he was surprised by the comment. He added that the team’s call to leave out the captain in an important match was interesting. He explained:
“I was very surprised to hear the term ‘shutdown’ in such an important game. We know that he has been a great supporter of Indian cricket over a long period of time.
“So the way they actually worded it, you can take it for granted. We have to believe what we hear from the Indian camp, but because it’s such a big game, knowing that they have to win this one to retain the trophy, it was an interesting time for one of their more experienced players to be ruled out.”
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