Sanjay Manjrekar suggests that India captain Rohit Sharma's Day 2 interview during the fifth Test at Sydney might have been to clear credit misconceptions regarding his exclusion. Rohit aimed to clarify his decision amidst claims highlighting head coach Gautam Gambhir's input,

Captain Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, was even poor. He registered only 31 runs in five innings and eventually, with the series on the line, had to drop himself from the Sydney Test. After six-wicket defeat to Australai at the Sydney Cricket Ground,

India head coach Gautam Gambhir said struggling stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still have the hunger to excel and will decide on their Test future keeping the team's best interest in mind. Gambhir's comments on the two veterans came after India's 1-3 series loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Virat Kohli last played a Ranji Trophy match in 2012 while Rohit Sharma's most recent domestic red-ball game was in the 2015-16 season.

Gautham Gambhir has insisted that any decision about the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be made by the players.

India coach Gautam Gambhir said veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still have a future in the team if they want it, despite disappointing returns on the test tour of Australia.

But the sight of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the most senior and respected batters struggling and failing over and over again, was tough to digest. At one level, it made fans wonder why are they still around,