'I spoke to Gautam Gambhir...there was an argument': Rohit Sharma's detailed explanation on skipping Sydney Test

India head coach Gautam Gambhir with captain Rohit Sharma (AP Photo)

India captain Rohit Sharma recalled his choice to skip the pivotal Sydney Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against Australia, stating that he did it in order to improve the team. Recalling his pre-match conversation with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selection committee Ajit Agarkar, Rohit told former Australia captain Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast that the two had different opinions when he informed them about his decision.

For the first time in ten years, India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Rohit managed to accumulate just 31 runs at an average of 6.20 from 5 innings. Regarding the choice to drop himself, Rohit stated that he preferred Shubman Gill to participate in the series finale because the latter had missed the match before the Sydney Test.

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"In the last Test match in Sydney, I had to be honest with myself. I was not hitting the ball well. And I didn't wanted to put myself there because we had a lot of the other guys who were struggling as well. When you add yourself in there, it just becomes a little more... And we wanted Gill to play. He is such a good player. He missed out in the previous Test," said Rohit.

"I was like, 'Okay, if I'm not hitting the ball well, it's right now.' Things can change ten days later, five days later. I spoke to the coach and the selector, who were there on the tour. They kind of agreed - not agreed. There was an argument around it. You try and put the team first and just look at what the team wants and make the decision accordingly. Sometimes it may work, sometimes it may not. So that's how it goes," he added.

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Rohit on mindset after taking over as India captain

Rohit also mentioned that since assuming the role of captain, he has prioritized the team's needs over personal objectives. "Every decision you try and make, you are not guaranteed success. Since I started captaining the national team, not just me, I wanted the rest of the guys also to think alike - try and put the team first and do what's necessary for the team and not worry too much about 'my runs, my scores,' and stuff like that. It's important because you are playing a team sport," said Rohit.

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