Navjot Sidhu slams decision to drop Rohit Sharma mid-series, calls it 'bizarre'

Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu suggested that dropping captain Rohit Sharma midway through the ongoing Australia tour sends the wrong signals emphasising that this is the first time such a decision has been made in Indian cricketThe 37yearold Rohit chose to sit out with the series on the line having scored only 31 runs in five innings across three TestsldquoA captain should never be dropped midstream nor given the option to opt outhellipsends wrong signalshellipHave seen captain s like Mark Taylor Azharuddin etc persisted as captains for a year despite bad formImRo45 deserved more respect and faith from the managementhellipBizarre coz it happened for the first time in Indian cricket historyhellipBlunder for a fallen lighthouse is more dangerous than a reef sic Sidhu wrote on X formerly TwitterA Captain should never be dropped midstream nor given the option to opt out hellip sends wrong signals hellip Have seen Captain s like Mark Taylor Azharuddin etc persisted as captain for a year despite bad form hellip ImRo45 deserved more respect and faith from the management helliphellip pictwittercomOJcSF9r3fUmdash Navjot Singh Sidhu sherryontopp January 3 2025Even before the outofform opening batsman was dropped for the crucial Sydney clash Indian media had speculated that Rohit could retire from Test cricket after the seriesThe Indian opener quit T20 international cricket last year after lifting the World Cup He is yet to call time on his ODI career If this is it for Rohit in Tests the team insisted he was rested it would be an ignominious late chapter in the career of the Indian great As a youngster Rohit studied on a scholarship because his family was unable to afford monthly fees of a few dollars He overcame all odds to become a cricketing superstar especially in the whiteball game his feats including taking his country to World Cup glory in 2024 He is also the only batsman to have scored three doublecenturies in oneday internationals Prior to his dropoff in form Rohit gave India real firepower at the top of the innings and his selfless approach allowed the rest of the batsmen to play freely But the man dubbed the Hitman for getting to big scores quickly in spectacular style failed to get past 10 runs in any of his five innings in Australia He had called his performances disturbing while there was also mounting criticism about his decisions as captain Rohit missed the first Test in Perth for the birth of his second child with Jasprit Bumrah assuming the captaincy and playing a starring role with the ball in a big India win With India trailing 21 in the series vicecaptain Bumrah was named to lead the team at the Sydney Cricket Ground as the visitors battle to retain the BorderGavaskar Trophy