"I was very surprised when I heard the term opting out'': Ponting on Rohit

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said that it took him by surprise when the Indian dugout termed skipper Rohit Sharmas absence as opting outPonting stated that the move was on expected linesThe Sydney Test match kickstarted with Team India looking to secure a win in order to level the seriesHowever Jasprit Bumrah walked out for the toss and said Rohit had opted out of the Sydney TestI think the reaction has been that they all sort of expected that it might happen Ricky Ponting told The ICC ReviewThe chats been for the last couple of days that everyone expected that Rohit would not play this game that Shubman Gill would come back in and that Jasprit Bumrah would probably take over the captaincy again and thats the way its turned outKeeping in mind Indias situation Ricky Ponting totally agreed with Rohits snub decision for the SCG Test But the Australian was surprised by the news that came from the Indian campI was very surprised when I heard the term opting out coming into such an important game Ricky Ponting saidWe know hes been a great stalwart for Indian cricket over a long period of time So the way that theyve actually worded it you can only take it on face valueWeve got to believe what were hearing coming out of the Indian camp but being such a big game knowing that they have to win this one to retain the trophy it was an interesting time for one of their more experienced players to opt outAlso ReadKarun Nair sets new List A world record scoresRohit Sharma looked like a pale shadow of himself in the ongoing series Down Under struggling to execute even his breadandbutter shots including the trademark frontfoot pullDuring the customary prematch warmup session Rohit was seen playing football with Virat Kohli Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan who along with Abhimanyu Easwaran will end the series without getting an international gameRicky Ponting was not very clear with the words but very well understands that it could be the end of Rohit Sharmas career in Test cricketYoud think its probably a long way back for Rohit Sharma now in this format of the game Ponting saidIndia dont play a Test match I believe until the middle or late June which is a long way away when youre sort of coming to the back end of your careerI think hes been a terrific player for India so with those sort of guys you wish them all the best and hope to see them back out there again but as I said I think it will be a long and probably difficult road back for himPonting had no doubt that the attempt made by Steve Smith at second slip off Kohlis blade was a clean takeKohli edged a length delivery from Scott Boland to second slip where Smith was positioned Smith dived low to his right seemingly catching the ball near the ground before flicking it upward toward gully where Marnus Labuschagne completed the catchHowever the decision was referred to the TV umpire who ultimately ruled Kohli not outI was in the back of the commentary box as it happened and from what I saw and what I believe to be the interpretation of the rules that seemed to be out to me Ricky Ponting saidThe ball may have touched the ground It may not have touched the ground but the fact that his right index finger was still underneath the ball I thought it was a clear catchThe incident took place in the eighth over off the first ball Kohli faced and Ponting admitted the limited angles available did not helpIt might be one of those ones that depends which dressing room hes Kohli sitting in as wellEvery Indian fan and Indian player will say thats not out as it clearly touched the ground but you could tell by the reaction of the Australians when it happened and even when they saw the replay on the big screen that they were all pretty confident that it was outIm sure over the course of this Test match well talk about it a whole lot more Ricky Ponting saidWith PTI Inputs