Former Australian captain and cricket expert, Mark Taylor, did not hold back on his opinion on Rohit Sharma’s absence from the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Speaking to Triple M Cricket, Taylor criticized India’s claims of “resting” Rohit, suggesting that the term masks a much simpler truth: the Indian skipper has been dropped due to poor form.
“Just Say He’s Dropped” – Mark Taylor’s candid take on Rohit Sharma
Taylor expressed disbelief at Rohit Sharma’s decision to rest, especially in such a critical match. He labeled the explanation as a poor attempt to soften the blow of the captain’s dismissal.
“The bottom line is that the captain of the country is not giving up on the final test match, the deciding test match of the series. There’s no question that he was dropped and I don’t know why they don’t just say that,” Taylor said.
He further explained that dropping is not a crime in professional cricket. “That doesn’t mean he’s been cast aside forever. It just means that he is out of this test because he is out of shape. It’s not a crime. It’s a professional sport,” Taylor added.
Rohit Sharma has… chosen to rest? 🤔
— Triple M Cricket (@triplemcricket) January 2, 2025
Mark Taylor: "He's been dropped and I don't know why they don't just say he's been dropped."#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/SHfHCuJwcn
Rohit Sharma’s performance in the ongoing series has been far from his usual standards. In three matches, he managed to score only 31 runs at a miserable average of 6.20. Such a streak saw him make way for Shubman Gill in the playing XI.
Rohit’s absence also led to the addition of Jasprit Bumrah as captain. Bumrah has proved his leadership prowess before, leading 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 had previously captained the Indian team to victory during the first Test of the series in Perth.
At the toss, Bumrah seemed focused and optimistic about the challenge ahead. “First we look at the bat. We played good cricket. The last game was exciting. The grass doesn’t look spicy. We have always learned to digest defeats. We will be looking forward to this,” Bumrah said confidently.
India made two changes in the match. 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 decisive match for India. The win keeps alive their hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final. However, a defeat or a draw would dash 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 have been debating whether there is more to Rohit’s absence than meets the eye.
For India, this SCG Test is nothing short of critical. The win keeps their hopes alive in the World Test Championship final. However, a defeat or a draw would end their journey.
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