Amid rumours of Rohit Sharma mulling at Test retirement after the completion of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday refused to clear the uncertainty over the out-of-form skipper’s participation for the fifth and final Test, starting Friday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Having missed the tour opener in Perth that India won by 295 runs under Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit has since struggled with the bat, managing only 31 runs in the next three Tests at an average of just 6.20, and his side desperately needing a win to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and keep their slim hopes of ICC World Test Championships Final qualification alive.

Advertisement

As a result, Rohit could struggle to find a place in the Playing XI for the final Test, and the speculations gained momentum when Gambhir fronted the pre-match press conference on match eve instead of the customary practice of the captain addressing the media.

With his side trailing 1-2 in the series and the opportunity of extending their hold on the BGT Trophy to a full decade still in the offing if they win in Sydney, the 43-year-old Gambhir remained coy of Rohit’s participation at Thursday’s presser.

“Everything is fine with Rohit. I don’t think it’s anything traditional (that a captain must speak to the media the day before a Test). If the coach is there, that should be fine, that should be good enough. We will have a look at the wicket and finalise it tomorrow (Friday),” said Gambhir.

When quizzed again on whether Rohit would play at the SCG, Gambhir continued, “I just said that we’re going to have a look at the wicket and announce a playing XI tomorrow (Friday). The answer remains the same.”

The chances of Rohit’s axing from the final Test increased after the veteran opener wasn’t a part of the main group of batters in the practice nets even as India completed their slips catching practice without him, and Virat Kohli moved to the first slip for the drills, KL Rahul to second, Nitish Kumar Reddy to third.

The only time the 37-year-old put on his pads at India’s only training session between the fourth and fifth Tests, was when he batted for around 15 minutes and only faced throwdowns.

In case Rohit misses the final Test, Shubman Gill, axed in Melbourne, could return to action. The head coach did reveal seamer Akash Deep would miss the final Test with a back issue.

Gambhir, who in 2009 batted almost 11 hours to save a Test match against New Zealand in Napier, also quashed media reports of handing a dressing down to his team following their meek surrender at the MCG where India lost seven wickets in the final session to lose the Test by 184 runs, and concede the series lead 2-1 to the Aussies.

“There were some honest words, that’s all I can say, and honesty is very important. Honesty is extremely important if you want to go on and achieve some great things,” he said.

“There is only one discussion – it’s the team-first ideology that matters. It’s a team sport, and you’ve got to play what the team needs you to do. People can play their natural game, but still, in a team sport, individuals only contribute.

“You have to expect players to do what the team needs you to do, whether they have to bat sessions, whether they have got to be attacking. Because that is all that matters in a team sport for me,” he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s mid-series retirement has triggered a transition phase in the current set-up with a lot of other senior members of the side gradually approaching the sunset of their respective careers, Gambhir felt that team performance is paramount as he believes that there is enough potential in the country to take Indian cricket forward.

“Honesty is the most important thing for any transition. It is not about phasing out senior players or getting the youngsters in. Ultimately, the only thing that can keep you in that dressing room is performance,” he said.

“(With) the kind of talent there is in Indian cricket, I think we will always be in safe hands. Yes, there’ll be times when we might not get the results. There’ll be times where we will have to be patient. Rather than only criticising the young players, I think we got to give them time to develop as well. They’ll end up becoming world-class players as well.

“That is what is important, and it is the role of not only the support staff, but you people (the media) as well, how you can not only criticise them, but try and help them out as well. Transition is not only for us. Transition happens for the entire country, and all of us are in it together,” he added.