Ravi Shastri suggests Rohit Sharma may retire from Test cricket

Former India coach Ravi Shastri has suggested that Rohit Sharma may retire from Test cricket following his omission from the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney.

The 37-year-old opener has struggled in the ongoing series, and his absence from India's eve-of-match press conference raised eyebrows. Instead of Rohit, coach Gautam Gambhir appeared in front of the media and chose not to offer any strong backing for the captain.

At the coin toss on Friday, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah explained that Rohit had "opted to rest" for the team’s benefit, rather than being left out due to performance issues.

However, Shastri speculated that this could be the end of Rohit's 67-Test career. He predicted that the veteran opener might announce his retirement at the conclusion of the ongoing Test match.

"It still is a brave call for a captain to own up and say, 'I'm prepared to take the bench in this game,'" Shastri said while commentating. “If there was a home season coming up, he might’ve thought of carrying on, but I think he might just pull the plug at the end of this Test” he added.

Shastri added that India had many talented younger players waiting for opportunities, which might prompt Rohit to step down and allow the team to build for the future.

“It’s not that India doesn’t have youngsters. There are very, very good players in the wings, and it’s time to build. Tough decisions, but there is a time for everything,” he said. 

Rohit, who retired from T20 international cricket last year after leading India to the World Cup, has yet to make a decision regarding his ODI career. He missed the first Test in Perth, and since then, he has struggled with form, failing to score more than 10 runs in any of his five innings during the series.

This poor form follows a disappointing performance in India's 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand in October and November.

Bumrah, speaking at the toss, offered support for Rohit’s decision. "Our captain has shown his leadership, he’s opted to rest in this game," Bumrah said. "So that shows there's a lot of unity in our team, there's no selfishness, whatever is in the team's best interest, we are looking to do that," he added. 

If Rohit does decide to retire, it would be the second major departure for India during this tour, following the retirement of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who headed home after the third Test at the Gabba. Ashwin was not selected for the Brisbane Test, which seemed to be the final straw for the 38-year-old.