'Have seen Captains like Mark Taylor, Azharuddin etc persisted as captain for a year despite bad form...'
Rohit Sharma's decision to 'opt out' of the ongoing fifth and final Test against Australia was bizarre as it sends wrong signals and the India captain deserved 'more respect' from the team management, reckoned former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Grappling with poor form, Rohit pulled out of the Sydney Test, handing over the leadership duties to Jasprit Bumrah. The move also paved the way for Shubman Gill's inclusion in the crucial match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
"A Captain should never be dropped midstream nor given the option to opt out … sends wrong signals," Sidhu said on X.
Rohit, who missed the opening Test at Perth to be present for the birth of his second baby, scored only 31 runs across five innings in three Tests.
"Have seen Captains like Mark Taylor, Azharuddin etc persisted as captain for a year despite bad form ... @ImRo45 deserved more respect and faith from the management ... Bizarre coz it happened for the first time in Indian cricket history. Blunder -- for a fallen lighthouse is more dangerous than a reef!," he added.
After missing the Perth Test, Rohit returned for the pink-ball Test at Adelaide but didn't look his old self, struggling to execute even his trademark front foot pull shots.
The 37-year-old Rohit endured a tough time in Test cricket in 2024, accumulating just 619 runs in 26 innings across 14 matches, averaging 24.
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