Delhi, January 3, 2025: Rohit Sharma’s name mysteriously disappeared from India’s official team sheet, which the BCCI shared shortly after the toss for the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the SCG in Sydney. Jasprit Bumrah, who stepped in for Rohit at the toss, mentioned that Rohit “opted to rest” from the series finale. The BCCI did not issue any official statement via press release or social media about his absence, but the team sheet shared on the official WhatsApp group did not feature his name, even in the reserve players’ list.
The team sheet included all players, such as Shubman Gill and Prasidh Krishna, who were making comebacks, and the names of all fit members of India’s official squad, except for Rohit. Reserve players like Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Harshit Rana were also listed. The only other player missing was pacer Akash Deep, who was declared injured and unfit to play.
Why Rohit opted out of the Sydney Test: Rohit, who had largely avoided open discussions with head coach Gautam Gambhir before the New Year’s Test, was seen in a lively conversation with the former India opener before the Pink Test began. Rohit appeared to be the primary speaker in the discussion, which also included Jasprit Bumrah.
Summary: Rohit Sharma’s name was removed from India’s official squad list following an animated discussion with coach Gautam Gambhir, leading to speculation about his absence from the Sydney Test.