'He Wouldn’t Have Been In Team If Not...: Pathan Makes Bold Statement On Rohit

6.20, 15.16 & 10.50 - Rohit Sharma’s average in his last three Test series all but confirmed that he wasn’t of the same calibre in the longest format anymore. Given his form, the then Indian skipper decided to rest himself for the Sydney Test against Australia, and later, announced his retirement from the longest format. 

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who was in the commentary panel during the Australia series, slammed Rohit, stating that he wouldn’t have had a place in the team if he wasn’t leading the side. 

“Rohit Sharma is an amazing player in white-ball cricket, but his average in Test cricket that year was 6, so we said that if he was not the captain, he would not have had a place in the team, and this is true,” Pathan said in a teaser video released by Lallantop on Wednesday, reported Indian Express.

In an interview with Star Sports, host broadcaster during the tour, then Indian skipper Rohit reckoned that a team cannot carry ‘too many out-of-form players’, after scores on the tour read: 3, 6, 10, 3 & 9. 

“This is what I say. Stand down. I will say a few words, and 50 words will be made out of it. So basically, runs are not coming from my bat, I am not in form, it is an important match, we need players in form, the boys in our batting are not in form, so you cannot carry too many out-of-form players in the team,” Rohit told Star Sports then. 

“It was difficult for me to take this decision, but if everything is put in front of us, then this decision was sensible, and I will not think too much ahead. What the team needed at this time this was the only thought, and there was no other thought apart from that,” Rohit added.

Pathan added that they only supported Rohit because he was a ‘guest’ on the show, but maintained his stance that the Mumbaikar would have been dropped if not for his ‘captaincy’ tag. 

“People say that we supported Rohit Sharma more than necessary. Of course, when someone comes to interview on your broadcasting channel, you will not misbehave with them, right? You have invited him, so you will behave politely,” Pathan further added. 

“When Rohit came to interview, we were, of course, polite, and we had to show that, because he was our guest. So that was connected and said we were supporting him, but it was we who said…we had said that he should keep fighting, but that said, he should not have had a place in the playing XI. If he were not the captain of the team, he would have been dropped.”