'Captain should never be dropped midstream' - Navjot Singh Sidhu slams Rohit Sharma decision

Rohit Sharma decided to ‘opt-out’ of the Sydney Test due to his mediocre performances in the ongoing Test series against Australia, in which he has averaged just a shade over 6. It was unbecoming of his position as the Test skipper, for which he stood down to let Jasprit Bumrah become the captain of the side at the SCG.

The “selfless” decision was applauded by many pundits and fans, but former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu didn’t take it lightly. The cricketer-turned-politician slammed the Indian team management for letting Rohit drop himself.

“A Captain should never be dropped midstream nor given the option to opt out … sends wrong signals. Have seen Captains like Mark Taylor, Azharuddin etc persisted as captain for a year despite bad form … @ImRo45 deserved more respect and faith from the management … Bizarre coz it happened for the first time in Indian cricket history …. Blunder – for a fallen lighthouse is more dangerous than a reef!,” Sidhu wrote on ‘X’.

Meanwhile, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting found it confusing that the BCCI decided to use the word “opt-out” instead of dropped but added that people had to take it at face value.

“I was very surprised when I heard the term ‘opting out’ coming into such an important game. We know he’s been a great stalwart for Indian cricket over a long period of time. So the way that they’ve actually worded it, you can only take it at face value,” Ponting said in the ICC Review.

“We’ve got to believe what we’re 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 out.

“India don’t play a Test match until the middle or late June, which is a long way away when you’re sort of coming to the back end of your career. He’s 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 I think it will be a long – and probably difficult road – back for him,” the former Australian skipper added.