Rohit Shama on his Sydney decision: ‘I stood down… it’s an important match, you cannot carry too many out-of-form players’ | Cricket News

After Rohit Sharma didn’t walk out for the toss at the Sydney Test, the three general descriptions of his decision were that: a) he opted out, b) he rested, c) he was dropped. On Saturday, during the lunch-time on Day 2, Rohit elaborated what led to the big call taken the management.
“None of the three things (smiles). I stood down. This is what I say. Stand down,” Rohit told Star Sports. “I will say a few words, fifty words will be made out of it. The chat that I had with the coach and captain was very simple, I am not making runs. So basically, I am not in form, it is an important match, we need players in form, the boys in our batting are not in form, so you cannot carry too many out-of-form players in the team. So it was difficult for me to make this decision, but if everything is put in front of us, then this decision was sensible. I will not think too much ahead, what the team needed at this time, this was the only thought, and there was no other thought apart from that.”
Later in the interview, Rohit also clarified he has no immediate plans to retire, and that he had belief that he can turn around his form.
At the toss on Day 1, Bumrah confirmed what The Indian Express reported on Thursday, regarding Rohit sitting out in Sydney. “Obviously, our captain (Rohit) has shown his leadership as well. He’s opted to rest in this game. So that shows that there’s a lot of unity in our team. There’s no selfishness. Whatever is in the team’s best interest, we’re looking to do that,” the stand-in captain had said.
Rohit – who had scores of 3, 6, 10, 3 & 9 in the three Tests that he played – said the decision in itself was ‘very, very tough.’
“I have come from such a long dance, I have not come here to sit outside or to not play the match. I have to play and make the team win and from the first day when I came to the dressing room in 2007 till now, I have been thinking that I have to make the team win. But sometimes you have to understand what is the need of the team, if you do not put the team first then there is no use. That is why we call it a team, because eleven people are playing, not one person or two people are playing, eleven people are playing, so it is a team, whatever is the cost of the team, try to do that.”

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