Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has opened up about Rohit Sharma’s controversial decision to sit out the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. Speaking on the ICC Review, Shastri stated emphatically that had he been the coach, Rohit would have played the Sydney Test against Australia, asserting that it wasn’t the right moment to walk away from the team.
Rohit, who recently retired from Test cricket, missed the final match of the 2025 series in Sydney, with Jasprit Bumrah leading the side in his absence. At the time, Rohit cited his commitment to team interests over personal goals, saying he believed stepping aside was the right call amid a poor run of form.
However, Shastri sees it differently.
“If I was the coach, you would have never not played that last Test match,” Shastri told Rohit in a conversation during an IPL game. “You would have played that last Test match because the series wasn’t over.”
India had lost the first two Tests but clawed back in the third to make it 2-1. Rohit’s form was far from ideal—he averaged just 6.20 in the series—but Shastri believes the context demanded his presence.
“I’m not someone who threw in the towel with the scoreline 2-1. If your mindset is you feel you are… that’s not the stage, you leave a team,” he added, reflecting his strong belief in fighting till the end.
Shastri further explained his reasoning behind advocating for Rohit’s inclusion despite his lean patch.
“That was a 30-40 run game. And that’s exactly what I told him. The pitch was so spicy in Sydney… If he had gone, sensed the situation, sensed the condition, and smashed it for even 35-40 at the top, you never know. That series could’ve been level.”
Rohit Sharma’s red-ball numbers had been underwhelming leading up to the SCG Test. Between series against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia, he scored just 50 runs in eight Tests at a dismal average of 10.93.
Despite the statistics, Shastri emphasized that experience and match-winning ability can outweigh recent form in high-stakes situations.
Rohit Sharma officially announced his retirement from Test cricket this week, ending an 11-year red-ball career that began with a century on debut against the West Indies in 2013. He finished with 4,301 runs in 67 Tests at an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries and 18 fifties. As captain, he led India in 24 Tests, winning 12 and losing nine.
Rohit had previously retired from T20Is after leading India to glory in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, defeating South Africa in a thrilling final.
While his exit marks the end of an era, Shastri’s words underscore the passion and expectations that come with wearing the India cap—especially when the series is still alive.
