File photo of Rohit Sharma© AFP
Former Indian cricket team batter Sanjay Manjrekar said that retirement is a personal decision but the decision on whether Rohit Sharma will find a place in the India playing XI in the future or not will be decided by the selectors. Rohit opted out of the fifth Test match in Sydney following a dismal run of form and in a candid interview on Day 2 of the match, he addressed speculations about his future. In the interview, Rohit said that he will not be retiring anytime soon but Manjrekar pointed out that there is no guarantee that he will find a place in the side if his form does not improve in the future.
“But there was also another reason why he was doing that interview. To clear the air. Somewhere I think Gambhir was getting all the credit for a brave call by leaving Rohit Sharma out. He wanted to set the record straight. Let’s be honest,” Manjrekar said after the encounter.
“I loved that interview. That first bit where he said, I couldn’t have another out-of-form batter in the XI, and that’s why he opted out. But there were some other emotions too.”
“One thing that a lot of players say is that ‘I will decide my future’. I have a problem with that. You can decide your future with regards to retirement, but somebody else has got the job to decide your future as a player and captain.”
“That’s the chairman of selectors. You have got to respect the hierarchy, however big you are. If the chairman of selectors is strong and he believes in the long-term health of Indian cricket, he has the power to decide whether your career should end now, or you get a few more matches, or one more series.”
“Retirement is in your hands, but playing for India is not,” he added.
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