India’s coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma. File photo
| Photo Credit: AFP

Never has an Indian captain’s stint in the nets and his body-language been analysed so threadbare. But it all happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and Rohit Sharma was in the centre of it all, on the eve of the fifth and final Test against Australia.

It started when Gautam Gambhir addressed the pre-match press-conference at the SCG here on Thursday (January 2, 2024) afternoon. Just as the interaction warmed up, the Indian coach was asked about Rohit not being present to talk to the correspondents. “Everything is fine with Rohit and I don’t think it is anything traditional. The head-coach is here, I think that should be fine, that should be good enough and tomorrow we will have a look at the wicket and probably announce our playing eleven,” replied Gambhir.

To be fair to the former India opener, there have been instances in the past when the skipper did not turn up and another player faced the media. There has been no tradition set in stone about the Indian captain talking to the press, a day ahead of a contest. So that was one googly, adeptly dealt with.

Rohit’s poor form raises debate

But the drama was just building up as the backdrop had the stink of a palace intrigue. Rohit’s poor form in this series (31 runs from six innings), reports hinting at the coach’s strong words with the team after the defeat in the fourth Test at Melbourne, and speculation about a senior player harbouring captaincy ambitions, were all part of the mix.

A direct question on whether Rohit will be part of the playing eleven was raised. “The answer remains the same,” the coach said. Inside the hall, correspondents wrestled with multiple queries in their minds. Is the captain being benched? But wouldn’t that be too extreme? Or was it just a casual line?

Soon, attention shifted to India’s training stint at the main ground. Rohit participated in the warm-up game of footvolley, but skipped the slip-catching drill. When the players moved to the nets outside the main venue, the captain was missing. K.L. Rahul, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel, all had long batting stints.

Rohit finally turned up. He had a chat with Jasprit Bumrah and Jaiswal. There was conversation and some laughter. After a while he returned to the dressing room, padded up and got back to the nets. Countering only throwdowns, Rohit focussed on the task at hand.

Later along with Bumrah and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, he returned to the pavilion. A captain being dropped would be too radical. However, officially, the last word would be known at the toss on Friday (January 3, 2025).

Rohit Sharma of India looks dejected after being dismissed by Pat Cummins of Australia on day five of the fourth Test in the series between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 30, 2024
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Rohit Sharma sat down and grimaced a little. Post-defeat inquisitions can be macabre even if the queries are couched in euphemisms, and the Indian captain answered all at the Melbourne Cricket Ground here on Monday (December 30, 2024) evening.

Reflecting on the fourth Test’s defeat against Australia, Rohit said: “Obviously, we had the opportunity to bring the game (fourth Test) to us or to draw it. We tried, but again, many boys who made runs could have played longer but the new guys will learn.”

The questions then centred around him: “Obviously, few results have not gone our way and as a captain, it is disappointing. As a batter, a lot of the things I am trying to do are not falling in place. Mentally, look, it is disturbing.”

Looking ahead, the batter said: “There is still a game (Sydney) to go. If we can play that well, a (series) draw will be really nice. [We will] make sure that when we turn up at Sydney we try and move that momentum towards us.”

Asked about Rishabh Pant’s manner of dismissals, Rohit explained: “Pant has had a lot of success doing what he does. As a captain, you want to back that thought of him playing the way he plays. Sometimes when things don’t look good, it frustrates everyone.”

Queried about managing Jasprit Bumrah’s spells, the skipper admitted: “To be honest, he has bowled a lot of overs. But again, every Test we play, we keep that in mind, the workloads of all the bowlers. If somebody is in such great form, you want to try and maximize. But there comes a time when you need to give him that extra breather as well.”

Rohit also lauded Nitish Kumar: “We saw there is a lot of potential which is why he is here. With the bat he was brilliant, read the situation pretty well and has a solid technique and super mind.”

The captain also appreciated the efforts put in by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. “It’s just that they have been unfortunate not to be seen (often) in the wicket’s column.”