'It Is Not A Retirement Decision': Says Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma’s decision to sit out of the Sydney Test shouldn’t be misconstrued as a retirement decision. He’s confident “things can change” and those with a “mic, pen or laptop can’t decide when we should retire.”

Rohit was reacting to media reports in India that had brought into sharp focus his Test future following India’s loss in Melbourne that all but ended their chances of qualifying for the WTC final.

“This decision is not a retirement,” he told Star Sports during the lunch break on day two of the Sydney Test where Bumrah is captaining India. “Now am I going to take myself out of the game.

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“I sat out of this match because runs are not coming off my bat. There is no guarantee runs won’t come five or two months down the line. I have seen a lot in cricket that life changes every second, every minute, every day.

“I have confidence in me that things can change, but at the same time I have to be realistic as well. So life won’t change by what people with a mic, pen or laptop write or say. They can’t decide when we should retire, when we should sit out, when we should captain. I am a sensible man, mature man, father of two kids. So I know what I need in life.”

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Having joined the squad midway through the series opener in Perth, which India won by 295 runs, Rohit slotted into the middle order for the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests to accommodate KL Rahul at the top of the order.

In Melbourne last week, Rohit returned to open the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with Rahul slotting in at No. 3 and Shubman Gill losing out on a place in the XI. However, two failures and a loss on a dramatic final day led to chatter around his place in the XI.

“The chat that I had with the coach and the selector was very simple: my bat is not scoring runs, I am not in form, this is an important match, and we need players who are in form.”

Rohit Sharma

“The chat that I had with the coach and the selector was very simple: my bat is not scoring runs, I am not in form, this is an important match, and we need players who are in form,” he said. “As it is, the boys are not in great form. So I had this simple thought in my mind: we can’t carry out-of-form players.