Sanjay Manjrekar suggests that India captain Rohit Sharma's Day 2 interview during the fifth Test at Sydney might have been to clear credit misconceptions regarding his exclusion. Rohit aimed to clarify his decision amidst claims highlighting head coach Gautam Gambhir's input,

During the interview, Rohit Sharma suggested that he "isn't retiring" and said that he decided to "opt out" of the match owing to poor form.

In nine innings of the five Test matches, Virat Kohli managed only 190 runs. The only big run that came from his bat was in the second innings of the first Test at Perth, where he remained unbeaten on 100. In the next seven innings, his highest score was 36.

Virat Kohli last played a Ranji Trophy match in 2012 while Rohit Sharma's most recent domestic red-ball game was in the 2015-16 season.

While Rohit missed the 5th and final match in Sydney over poor form, Kohli's future has been also up for debate, owing to his poor run of form. When Gambhir was asked about their future in India's Test team, he refused to show a clear path, saying it all depends on the 'hunger' they have.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir said struggling stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still have the hunger to excel and will decide on their Test future keeping the team's best interest in mind. Gambhir's comments on the two veterans came after India's 1-3 series loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma made the decision to opt out of the 5th and final Test against Australia. Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah chose to bat first at SCG on Friday, leading to India making two changes in the team lineup. Shubman Gill replaced Rohit Sharma, while Prasidh Krishan took the place of the injured Akash Deep.

Captain Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, was even poor. He registered only 31 runs in five innings and eventually, with the series on the line, had to drop himself from the Sydney Test. After six-wicket defeat to Australai at the Sydney Cricket Ground,

Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik believes that Rohit Sharma gave an unprecedented interview midway through the Sydney Test match to calm the public down. Karthik expects Rohit Sharma to take a few big calls during his brief rest before the England ODIs.

In an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar criticized Rohit Sharma. He said that a player cannot decide his own future as a player and captain of a side, even though retirement is in his own hands.

Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Rohit Sharma did not want Gautam Gambhir to get credit. Hence he said that he “stood down” for the Sydney Test.