Can't understand the ‘cloak & dagger’ around Rohit Sharma's exclusion from Sydney Test: Sanjay Manjrekar

The Indian team made a bold move during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy as India's full-time captain, Rohit Sharma was benched for the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Jasprit Bumrah stepped in as captain, making it the second time leading the side in this series.

Rohit's form in the series has been disappointing, managing just 31 runs across three matches. Along with his batting woes, India faced a string of losses under his leadership, including the end of a 12-year streak of winning Test series at home when New Zealand defeated them 3-0 last year. Meanwhile, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar opened up on the decision, expressing a lack of surprise at Rohit's omission.

"Rohit is well rested. The issue I have with Indian cricket culture, the secretive operation. Rohit is not an all-time great to keep his exclusion mysterious. I can understand if it’s Virat Kohli. But Rohit has played 60-odd Tests with one overseas century and an average of just 40. I don’t get why it should be so mysterious," Manjrekar said on Star Sports ahead of the Sydney Test.

The 37-year-old opener also became the first Indian captain to be benched in the middle of an international series. Manjrekar also took to his social media to give his take on the decision, revealing could not understand the ‘cloak & dagger’ around the issue.

"So typical of Rohit Sharma. Doing the right thing, doing what’s right for the team. But could not understand the ‘cloak & dagger’ around the issue. Wasn’t even talked about at the toss," Manjrekar tweeted.

Also Read: AUS vs IND 2024-25: Why is Rohit Sharma not playing fifth Test?

Our captain has shown leadership by opting to rest: Bumrah

At the toss, Bumrah revealed that Rohit had opted to rest himself, mentioning that the decision was made in the team’s best interest. India replaced Rohit with Shubman Gill, who returned to the No. 3 position in the batting line-up, while KL Rahul resumed his role as opener. The team also included Prasidh Krishna for Akash Deep, who was ruled out due to back stiffness. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat on a green-top wicket.

"Our captain has shown leadership by opting to rest in this game. That shows there's a lot of unity in this team. There's no selfishness. Whatever is in the team's best interest, we are looking to do that," Bumrah said.

India Playing XI for Sydney Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (C), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna