Rohit Sharma reflected on his poor form during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and explained the reasons behind missing the Sydney Test.
India’s star batter Rohit Sharma has shared his thoughts on the struggles he faced during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and the reasons behind his absence from the final Test in Sydney. The Indian skipper, who endured a challenging series against Australia, also spoke about the decisions taken regarding his batting position throughout the four-match series.
Rohit, who has been struggling for form in IPL 2025 as well, spoke candidly in an interview with former Australian captain Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast. He revealed that his poor form in the opening Test of the series made him question his role as an opener.
“When I got to Australia, things were slightly different. When I saw KL Rahul and Jaiswal bat in the first Test with a newborn in my hand, I loved it. So, I said Why do we need to change that. This is the series we want to win desperately to qualify for the World Test Championship. But in Adelaide, I didn’t have a great game. Then I went back to my room and I thought, ‘Should I open man? What’s going on?’. Then I decided not to change after one game,” Rohit said.
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Rohit returned to the top of the order in the second Test in Melbourne, but things did not improve drastically. Speaking about the decision to sit out the Sydney Test, he said it was not just about his own form but also about giving an opportunity to in-form players.
“Then, when we got to Melbourne, we changed our mind, and I went back to open the innings. And the last Test match in Sydney, I had to be honest to myself that I was hitting the ball. I didn’t want to put myself there only because we had a lot of the other batters struggling as well. And we somehow wanted Gill to play because he is such a good player. So I spoke to the coach and the selector who was on the tour as well, and they kind of agreed and not agreed,” he added.
Rohit’s rough patch has extended into the ongoing Indian Premier League season. Representing Mumbai Indians, the senior batter has scored just 56 runs in five games, with an average of 11.20 and a strike rate of 136.58.
While he has managed to get a few starts, Rohit has failed to convert them into impactful innings. Mumbai Indians too have had a tough run so far, managing to win only two of their six matches.
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