Rohit Sharma's omission from Sydney Test team sheet raises eyebrows

Once hailed as Indias Hitman and a key figure in the teamrsquos batting lineup Rohit Sharma was on Friday dropped from the playing XI for the crucial fifth Test against Australia in Sydney This development which came amid concerns over his poor form raised eyebrows across the cricketing world and further fueled speculation about the 37yearolds future in the longest format of the gameFor the first time in his career the Indian opener found himself excluded from the team during the middle of a series a significant development given his status as the Indian captain Rohit has managed only 31 runs in five innings throughout the ongoing BorderGavaskar Trophy series a run of form that saw him omitted for the decisive fifth Test Surprisingly Rohits absence was not confined to the playing XI his name was also noticeably absent from the official team sheet which further stoked the fire of rumours suggesting that this could be the end of his Test careerAlthough the Indian team management insisted that Rohit was rested for the Sydney encounter many in the media including former cricketers found this explanation hard to accept The term rested seemed insufficient for a player of Rohitrsquos stature particularly when considering that he had missed the first Test of the series and had not featured in any domestic cricket before the New Zealand series The timing of the decision left many questioning whether this was a tactical move or a sign that the Hitman is on the verge of retirementWith the departure of Ravichandran Ashwin who announced his retirement after the third Test in Brisbane the speculation surrounding Rohitrsquos retirement has only intensified Some fans and pundits have suggested that the decision to drop Rohit could be the first step toward him following Ashwin into retirement with many considering the possibility that the Melbourne Test could have been his final appearance in the formatJasprit Bumrah who is standing in as captain for this match addressed the media after winning the toss stating ldquoOur skipper has opted to rest It shows the unity we haverdquoFormer India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his disbelief at the teams reasoning Speaking on Star Sports he pointed out ldquoI believe the official word is that he has opted to rest Will fans accept that This is the guy who didnrsquot play in the first Test didnrsquot play domestic cricket before the New Zealand series If anyone needs rest it is the standin captain Bumrah who is playing this TestrdquoRohit who returned to the team for the second Test after taking paternity leave following the birth of his child has had a mixed career in Test cricket Despite being a matchwinner in limitedovers formats his inconsistency in Test matches has often been scrutinised If this indeed marks the end of his Test career it would be an ignominious conclusion for one of Indiarsquos most accomplished cricketers However with his ODI career still intact the future of the Hitman in Indian cricket remains a subject of debate and intrigue