Sydney: The recent Melbourne Test against Australia was possibly Rohit Sharma’s last appearance for India in the traditional format, but will this white ball colossus continue beyond next month’s Champions Trophy is the million dollar question.
Rohit’s absence from the ongoing fifth Test might have been sugarcoated as “opted to rest” by everyone concerned but if one cuts through the niceties, he is as good as dropped.
When the name in talks is as big as Rohit, who has given his everything for the country for the past 17 years, his future appearances could be open to conjecture.
As it is, he has retired from T20 Internationals post India’s victory in the ICC World Cup earlier this year in the West Indies.
The selectors will certainly have discussions after the Australia series and the roadmap for both Rohit and Virat Kohli will be decided.
The wisemen will now have to sit together to pick the team for the England bilateral series at home and the Champions Trophy.
Obviously, the longevity of Kohli’s Test career hinges on the second innings at Sydney and it is increasingly becoming difficult to carry him for the England series unless he makes a significant contribution here.
So, is there a way forward for Rohit, the Test cricketer? Unfortunately, the next Test match that India will play if they don’t qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final is against England from June 18-22 in Leeds.
Of course, the selection committee will take call only after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but someone as intelligent as Rohit, a T20 World Cup and five-time IPL winning skipper, knows that it is difficult to add to his 67 Test appearances.
Having been “nudged” into taking rest here, does Rohit have it in him to slog it out in the domestic cricket when Ranji Trophy resumes later this month, as there will be no red ball cricket available for him before the England tour?
If yes, then Rohit is sending out a message to go out on his own terms.
The selectors can decide not to select him for Tests but whether to quit a format is the player’s sole prerogative and he is answerable to none.
But if the answer is a no, then, logically the Ajit Agarkar committee cannot pick a 38-year-old for the next World Test Championship cycle that runs from 2025-2027.
So, what Rohit has in his calendar if he does not get picked for Test matches? Three ODIs against visiting England and the Champions Trophy before the IPL.
The one-dayers are no longer the most sought after bilateral format as most teams keep them confined to just three games.
Once the Champions Trophy is over, the next ODI bilateral rubber is against Bangladesh in August, and the next big 50-over event, the World Cup, is in South Africa in 2027.
Rohit will be 40 by then. Will he be in prime form or fitness to play a blue riband tournament with a good 9 to 11 games in a space of six weeks including travel
Hence, the Champions Trophy looks like a fitting tournament for Rohit’s international swansong.
If India happens to win the event, Rohit will be the only captain apart from Mahendra Singh Dhoni to win two ICC events as captain.
This apart, he has also captained the side in two more ICC finals — 2023 WTC and 2023 ODI World Cup.
In short, it’s tough to imagine Rohit wearing an Indian jersey beyond the Champions Trophy.
