Having missed the first Test in Perth because his son was born, Rohit returned to play in the subsequent three Tests but mustered only 31 runs. That low score saw Rohit, 38, missing out on the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at the SCG in January.
Former India team head coach Ravi Shastri indicated he would have made sure that Rohit Sharma, who recently retired from Test cricket, appeared on the field for the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia in Sydney this year. Last week, Rohit finished his Test cricket with 4,301 runs in 67 matches at an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries and a best score of 212.
As India’s Test captain since 2022, Rohit captained the team in 24 Tests and emerged victorious on 12 occasions, including the team being runners-up in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final. Following the birth of his son, Rohit had missed the first Perth Test, but later returned to feature in the subsequent three Tests, yet managed only 31 runs. That miserable run had kept Rohit, aged 38, out of the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at the SCG in January.
“I used to see Rohit a lot at the toss (in an IPL match). When you are at the toss, you don’t have time to talk. But I did once place my hand on his shoulder in one game. I am sure it was in Mumbai, and I explained to him that if I had been the coach, you would not have played that final Test match.”.
“You would have played that last Test match because the series wasn’t over. And I’m not a person who threw in the towel with the scoreline 2-1. If your mentality is you feel you are… that’s not the stage, you leave a team,” said Shastri on The ICC Review show.
With the series trailing 2-1 at that point, Shastri further explained why Rohit would have played the Test match in Sydney. “That was a 30-40 run game. And that’s what I told him. The pitch in Sydney was so spicy. Whatever form he was in, he’s a match-winner.”.
