Indian skipper Rohit Sharma dismissed speculation about his retirement from Test cricket during a candid interview on Day 2 of the ongoing fifth Test in Sydney. Sharma clarified that his decision to step aside from the match was based on his recent poor form with the bat and not an indication of stepping away from the game.

"I stood down, that's what I will say. There are fifty words that'll be thrown around. The chat that I had with the coach and the selectors was simple - runs weren't coming off my bat, I wasn't in form and it was a must-win match. I felt I had to inform the coach and the selectors and this was my decision. They told me you know your game best," Rohit said.

"I am not thinking much of the future. At this point, this is what the team required. I took this call after coming here (not in Melbourne). We had only three days after the last Test and one of them was New Year's. I didn't want to tell the coach and selectors on that day. But it was important for me," he added.

Sharma also criticised commentators and journalists for making premature assumptions about his career. “Someone is sitting inside with a mic or a laptop or a pen, what he writes, what he says, our life does not change because of that," he said.

"I don't believe in what will happen in 6 months or 4 months time, I always stay in the present and think about what needs to be done right now. This is not a retirement decision, I am out of the game because I wasn't in form. Life changes everyday and I have full belief that things will change. Sensible aadmi hoon, mature aadmi hoon, do bachhon ka baap hoon, mere paas thoda sa dimaag hai! (I am a mature person, a father of two kids, and I know what I want from life),” he added.

"You need to understand what the team needs, if you do not think about the team, you don't want those kinds of players. We call it a team, so always think about what the team needs. This is my personal thinking and this is how I played my cricket and this is how I am outside cricket as well. I am very transparent as a person," India captain said.

Sharma also praised stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah, lauding his leadership and consistency with the ball. "The way he (Bumrah) sets standards with the ball, he is absolute class. When I saw him for the first time in 2013, his graph has gone really high and has gone from strength to strength. Nothing is given in this format of the game, you got to earn it," he said.