NEW DELHI: Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar on Sunday made a massive statement, suggesting that India captain Rohit Sharma‘s interview on Day 2 of the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney might have been prompted by head coach Gautam Gambhir receiving credit for his exclusion. Rohit opted out of the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with Jasprit Bumrah stepping in as captain in his absence. India suffered a six-wicket defeat in the SCG Test and lost the series 1-3.
Amid various speculations about Rohit’s decision to exclude himself from the playing eleven, he addressed the issue during the lunch session on Day 2 in an interview with Star Sports, clarifying the situation.
However, Manjrekar believes Rohit sought to clarify his stance because Gambhir was being credited for the decision to leave him out of the lineup.
“But there was also another reason why he was doing that interview. To clear the air. Somewhere I think Gambhir was getting all the credit for a brave call by leaving Rohit Sharma out. He wanted to set the record straight. Let’s be honest. I loved that interview. That first bit where he said, I couldn’t have another out-of-form batter in the XI, and that’s why he opted out. But there were some other emotions, too,” Manjrekar told Star Sports.
“One thing that a lot of players say is that ‘I will decide my future’. I have a problem with that. You can decide your future with regards to retirement, but somebody else has got the job to decide your future as a player and captain,” he added.
“That’s the chairman of selectors. You have got to respect the hierarchy, however big you are. If the chairman of selectors is strong and he believes in the long-term health of Indian cricket, he has the power to decide whether your career should end now, or you get a few more matches, or one more series. Retirement is in your hands, but playing for India is not,” Manjrekar explained.
Rohit concluded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on a disappointing note, scoring only 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20.