Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has criticised the Indian management’s decision to drop Rohit Sharma as captain for the ongoing Test series against Australia. The decision came as a surprise with the series on the line, and Rohit was not included in the playing XI. Jasprit Bumrah took over the leadership, while Shubman Gill returned to the side.
Sidhu, in a video posted on his social media account, expressed his displeasure, calling the move "bizarre" and unprecedented in Indian cricket history. “Either you don’t make someone captain, but if you do, and that too a great like him, who has serviced Indian cricket for so long, then he’s out of form; it doesn’t matter,” Sidhu said.
The decision, reportedly taken by Rohit himself due to his poor form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has sparked a debate. Bumrah praised Rohit’s leadership at the toss and mentioned that the decision was made for the betterment of the team.
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However, Sidhu disagreed with the move, saying, “A captain opting out of the team isn’t an option. It sends the wrong signals. A captain never delinks from his ship, even if it is a sinking ship.” He added that Rohit is a well-respected figure, and the decision was wrong.
India has previously played without Rohit in the series opener in Perth due to Rohit's unavailability for personal reasons. In that match, Bumrah led the team to a dominant 295-run victory.
Meanwhile, India faced a tough day in the field as Australia took control of the match. India were bundled out for 185 with Scott Boland taking 4 wickets for 31 runs. Despite fighting knocks from Rishabh Pant (40) and Ravindra Jadeja (26), India’s batting collapse saw them lose wickets quickly after a solid start.
Pant and Jadeja provided some resistance in the middle, but India lost wickets steadily as Boland and Mitchell Starc ran through the batting order. Bumrah’s brief cameo of 22 runs in 17 balls gave India some hope before they were all out in 72.2 overs.
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In reply, Australia reached 9/1 by the close of play with Usman Khawaja falling to Bumrah in the last over of the day.
The Indian team will be looking to build on the momentum as they head into Day 2, with the game still hanging in the balance.
