'I want him to get out there, smash it, try and win this Test match.'
The ongoing Border-Gavaskar series will come to be the turning point for Rohit Sharma, whose form has come under the lens.
The Indian captain, who missed the opening Test due to paternity leave, travelled Down Under from the second Test in Perth onwards and has since scored just 31 runs at an average of 6.2 in his five knocks this series.
His lack of form has put the retirement speculation in overdrive and former head coach Ravi Shastri has weighed in on Rohit's Test future.
Shastri says he would not be shocked if Rohit retires from Test cricket, but if he is selected for a swansong game he should play with as little baggage as possible as the tourists fight to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and keep their World Test Championship 2025 final hopes alive in Sydney.
Just a short time before current Coach Gautam Gambhir refused to confirm Rohit's place in the playing eleven -- the straight-speaking Shastri said the skipper should play free from inhibitions that have stifled his game during his lean run of form.
'If I was anywhere near Rohit Sharma, I'll tell him, "Just go and smash it. Just go out there and have a blast",' Shastri told The ICC Review.
'"Just as it is when you're trying to play the way you are at the moment, it's not looking great. Go out there and take the attack to the opposition and then let's see what happens",' Shastri added.
Shastri admitted the end of Sharma's career could come quickly.
'He'll take a call on his career but I won't be shocked at all (if Rohit retires) because he's not getting younger,' said Shastri.
'There are other young players in the wings, there's Shubman Gill, a player of his quality averaging over 40 in 2024 and not playing. It tricks your brain as to what is he doing sitting on the bench and warming it.'
'So I won't be surprised but it's his call.
'At the end of the day, if India had qualified for the World Test Championship (final) or if they still qualify for the World Test Championship final, then it's another thing altogether.
'Otherwise, I think it might just be the opportune time -- but (if Rohit plays) he should go out with a blaze of glory.'
Last June, Rohit quit the T20I format after leading India to the World Cup title in the West Indies, making two half-centuries in his last three innings in the campaign. He remains poised for a tilt at the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, though his faults against the redm ball have been under the microscope given the lean run in recent months.
'From the outside when I see it, I think he's a little late on the ball,' Shastri noted.
'His feet aren't moving as well as they normally do. Even at his prime, his footwork was minimal, but there was more. He was more towards the ball. At the moment, I think he's caught on the crease.
'It is much like (Usman) Khawaja in the Australian team, where you're neither forward nor back. And I think when Rohit is moving more towards the ball and the intent is there to take on the opposition, that's when the right signals go from the brain to the feet to do what they have to do.
'I want him to just get out there, smash it, try and win this Test match. You might have lost a Test. You have not lost the series as yet. Try and win this Test match to keep that Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
'It's going out there and not playing his natural game (that's affecting him).'
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