'Every Failure Hurts Rohit'

'A cricketer is a very proud person.'
'When he sees the kind of performances he has had in the past but cannot replicate them, and when young players are performing well, these factors weigh heavily on his mind.'

Rohit Sharma needs to find out if he has still has the 'hunger' to play Test cricket and should work hard towards getting his red ball career on track.

The 37 year old, who scored only 31 runs in five innings, pulled out of the Sydney Test.

'I have not retired. I stood down; that is what I would say. Basically, the chat that I had with the coach and selector was very simple. That I am not able to score runs, there is no form, it is an important match and we need a player with form,' Rohit told Star Sports on Day 2 of the Sydney Test.

His Test future looks uncertain after a poor run with the bat, scoring just one fifty in his last 15 innings.

2024 was the least productive year for Rohit in Test cricket. He scored 619 runs in 26 innings across 14 matches, averaging 24.76.

Former India player and batting coach Sanjay Bangar says Rohit must be hurting at not being able to deliver with the bat in Test cricket.

'When you are 37 years old, every failure hurts because a cricketer is a very proud person. When he sees the kind of performances he has had in the past but cannot replicate them, and when young players are performing well, these factors weigh heavily on his mind,' Bangar told Star Sports.

'This might have influenced his decision. He needs to determine whether he still has the hunger to play Test cricket. If he does, that hunger must reflect in his actions.'

Bangar says Rohit must take a cue from veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who have gone back to domestic cricket, after being dropped from the Test team. The duo have been featuring consistently in Ranji Trophy for their state teams despite not being in contention for the Indian team for the past few years.

'There has been a lot of talk about playing domestic cricket. Players like Pujara and Rahane, who are on par with Rohit Sharma in stature, have been dropped in the past but have shown their hunger by playing in domestic cricket.

'Even today, they are sweating it out on domestic grounds, which is a big drop from the intensity of international cricket.

'Rohit has expressed his desire to continue playing for India and has said, 'I am not going anywhere; I still want to play.' If he follows through and performs in domestic cricket, no one can stop him. But that form and hunger must be evident.'

Rohit's form has taken a sharp dip in the last few years. Since January 2021, he has made 2,160 runs in 35 Tests at an average of 36, with six centuries and eight fifties.

He had made a sensational Test to his career with back to back centuries in his first two innings, against the West Indies in 2013. But he has never been able to make a big impact like he has done in white ball cricket.

Rohit's showing in Tests in each calendar year since his debut in 2013