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The headline is as simple as it can get — that Rohit Sharma isn’t retiring. He may have expressed the same sentiments in the review meeting with BCCI office-bearers, coach Gautam Gambhit and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, (who had offered to quit on a selection matter earlier too) to chalk out the road map of Indian cricket for the months to come. That is because he has asked or begged all concerned parties to allow him to continue as captain for a few months. Rohit would possibly quit after the grace period. Based on this assurance, he could be given one more chance to lead India in the Champions Trophy.
How will Gambhir agree to all this when Rohit had agreed to quit? Wasn’t that an exit interview then when he said that he was going, going but not gone. Sorry, even Day Two of the fifth Test match against Australia in Sydney in the lunch break TV interaction it wasn’t the exit interview either.
Come on, you got to be kidding to think that Rohit is going down without a fight. Come on, give him some time to recover and allow him space and time before he calls it a day, right?
Let’s go back in time. Rohit stands tall in the presence of his cheerleaders. But there are a few things that need to be clarified.
Here comes the first question: What was Rohit doing with the team? Pep talk and all. Prompt came the answer from non-playing Indian Test captain that the wicket had a lot, which one could make out from his form. Then he said that the bowlers would have to pitch the ball in the right areas for a longer time.
As luck would have it, the India bowlers did exactly the opposite in absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
Cut to next question about on-field banters. Rohit backed his men and said that if you prod a cat, he will become a tiger. He also used a word called ‘ungli’ which meant that if the Indian cricketers who are classy, which a lot of fans perhaps didn’t know, are pushed to their limits through a Bollywood style expression like Bol Bachchan (faffing), it doesn’t suit our image.
Coming to the moot point, Rohit, thankfully, was asked whether he had opted out, rested or dropped. To which, Rohit thought that he was cracking a joke and said: “None of the three things.”
He said while smiling that he stood down, which means stepping side or opting out. Then, how can he say that none of the three things. Soon a pat on the shoulder came from one of interviewers and Rohit said something gibberish, which didn’t make much of a sense.
Thereafter, he claimed that he had a simple chat with coach Gambhir, whose entire cricket journey is about confrontations and fights, and a selector that he isn’t scoring runs which means he is not in form in an important match and his team needs in-form players and then the rest of the gang are not in top form and so the out of form captain “stood down”. Very exhaustive explanation indeed.
The basic of the game as explained by Rohit meant that the Indian team can’t afford to carry an out-of-form player for a long time. He was pondering over it for a long time and he shared his decision with his coach and selector and they backed him to sit out of the Sydney Test. Both coach and selector also told Rohit that he would be his best judge and it was a tough call he had to take for the sake of his team. It was sensible decision to put team before self. But what about all the time when Rohit was not scoring but continued to play for the team?
Rohit loves staying in the present and his conscience didn’t allow him to play the game and that is why he stood down. This was followed by a conversation which showed Rohit as a selfless and secured captain and some of his well-wishes wanted him to play the Sydney Test, but who would explain this to Gambhir?
Rohit also didn’t tell Gambhir about his decision to stay away from the game in a rush especially during the New Year time and when in reality it was Gambhir who told him to sit out of the Sydney Test right after the Melbourne defeat.
Not that Rohit wasn’t trying. He was trying his best but runs just eluded him and he had to stay aside from the Test. Of course, the 201-run partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in the second innings of the opening Test in Perth convinced Gambhir that Rohit can’t open the innings in Adelaide but in the interview he said that he didnt want to disturb the opening pair because their partnership was a game changer.
Next question please: Where is Rohit going from here? “This isn’t a decision to retire. I am not going step aside.” Explaining the old cliche that form is temporary while class is permanent, who knows what happens from here in next five to six months? Rohit admits that he has seen it all. Most importantly, Rohit has a self belief that he will return to form. External factors, voices and public opinion don’t matter. In other words, none should tell him when to retire.
Not even the selectors should decide whether he should quit or not. Because Rohit is a sensible man. He is a ‘mature’ man as he is a father of two. Does it mean that those who aren’t a father aren’t mature enough or those who have more than two kids are more mature. All men who play cricket for India are made out of steel and Rohit is a a leader of that steel factor. The players don’t try to control things which are uncontrollable.
Things like travelling all the way to Australia meant playing the Test matches and not to sit out. Rohit wanted to bat well and make his team retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but still he sat out because of his poor form. Even actor Vidya Balan was too impressed with this move. What a sacrifice for his team!.
Lastly, how is going to lead India in red ball cricket? Even Rohit doesn’t know the answer. He needs time to decide that. In the meantime, he wants to captain the side for sometime more because the transition won’t be easy. The contenders need to understand that this sort of plumb post doesn’t come on a platter, you got to earn it, like Rohit did!
