Leg and Off: Should Rohit Sharma drop himself from the playing 11 for BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Team India have plenty to play for in the crucial fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Sydney, starting January 3. Trailing 1-2, India must win the Sydney Test to avoid a series defeat and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Yet, before stepping onto the field for the all-important series finale, questions about skipper Rohit Sharma's participation in the wake of his dismal form has dominated the headlines. The Indian captain did not address the press conference on the eve of the Sydney Test, with head coach Gautam Gambhir performing the duties.

When asked about Rohit leading the side and playing in Sydney, Gambhir remained tight-lipped and non-committal.

"The head coach is here. That should be enough. Everything is fine with Rohit. We're going to have a look at the wicket and finalise it tomorrow," he said [quoted by ESPN Cricinfo].

As unlikely as it may sound, there seems to be a growing possibility that Rohit Sharma might be warming the benches in the Sydney Test despite being the captain and an experienced member of the setup.

On that note, we look at the different parameters to conclude whether Rohit should drop himself out of the playing XI for the final Australian Test in Sydney.

Form and impact on team balance

Australia v India - Men's 4th Test Match: Day 5 - Source: Getty

It is a no-brainer that on current form, Rohit Sharma deserves the axe from the Indian playing XI for Sydney. The 37-year-old has hit rock bottom when it comes to batting numbers, averaging a dismal 6.20 in the three Tests he has played in the series.

Rohit's highest score of 10 in the five innings in this series makes for even sorrier reading. His poor form has not been only in the Australia series but dates back to the back-to-back home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand before the tour Down Under.

The veteran batter has now gone 15 Test innings averaging under 11 with a lone half-century. What's worse is the negative impact Rohit has unfortunately had on team balance during the course of this series.

After conceding his opening position to the in-form pair of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit batted at No. 6 in the second and third Tests. However, after looking clueless in the lower middle-order, he returned to his customary spot as an opener, relegating the in-form Rahul to No. 3.

The move had a horrific ripple effect as Rohit failed in both innings of the Melbourne Test opening the batting and Rahul seemingly lost his touch after moving down a spot to No. 3, with scores of 24 and 0.

Rahul had scored 235 runs at an average of 47 on tough batting pitches before Rohit replaced him at the top.

Rohit's inclusion also meant India had to sit out young talent Shubman Gill for the Melbourne Test as they went with the second spinning option in Washington Sundar. If India decide on a similar make up to their 11, playing one specialist batter less and overcoming Rohit's unfathomably poor form maybe a task too many.

Thus, in isolation and for the sake of team balance, Rohit must drop himself and ensure Rahul opens the batting and Gill takes his rightful place at No. 3 in Sydney.

Verdict: Rohit must be dropped from the playing XI on form and for ideal team balance.

Captaincy

Australia v India - Men's 1st Test Match: Day 4 - Source: Getty

Rohit could have made a case for playing in Sydney despite the poor batting form if the team was on a winning streak under his captaincy. We have seen several instances in the past where accomplished batters continue being given an extended rope if the team is winning, especially if the out-of-form batter is the captain.

However, in Rohit's case, Murphy's Law seems to hold true from all angles as India have been on a shockingly poor run lately. With him at the helm, India suffered an embarrassing 0-3 home series whitewash to New Zealand, breaking a 12-year unbeaten streak at home.

If that wasn't bad enough, the side's one brilliant performance in this rough stretch came when Rohit missed the first Test against Australia in Perth and Jasprit Bumrah took over captaincy duties. Under Bumrah, India fired on all cylinders to script a massive 295-run victory to take a 1-0 series lead.

Yet, it almost feels like the wind has been taken out of India's sail since Rohit's return as captain from the second Test. The side has lost two of its next three outings to fall 1-2 behind in the ongoing series.

Rohit has now lost five out of his last six Tests as captain, with the lone draw coming in a rain-marred game at Brisbane. The combination of Bumrah's impressive captaincy in Perth with Rohit's horrific run as skipper in recent Tests means India will likely not miss much and might even be better in Rohit's absence with Bumrah as skipper.

Verdict: Even the usual 'captaincy leeway' works against Rohit's inclusion in this case.

Setting a precedent that benefits Indian cricket in the future

India Men's Test Squad Training Session - Source: Getty

Indian cricket has often suffered from clinging onto their legends beyond their proverbial expiration date over the years. The legendary cricketers, often seen as demigods among fans, makes it doubly hard for the team management to take tough calls and drop an established veteran player from the side.

This has proved costly time and again, yet, Indian cricket has almost rarely evolved and based all selections solely on merit. With the series and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the line, dropping an accomplished batter and captain like Rohit Sharma in Sydney could send a strong message to all the other current and future cricketers that play for India.

Yes, there may be fan backlashes, difference in opinions and other unpleasantries on offer. However, a move as strong as Rohit's dropping, while the series is still ongoing, could set the ideal precedent for Indian cricket and used as a reference point for future selections/exclusions.

If MS Dhoni retiring before the final Test of the Australian series in 2014/15 kickstarted the dominant Virat Kohli era, Rohit doing something similar might be the start of something special for Indian Test cricket with Jasprit Bumrah.

Verdict: Dropping Rohit Sharma at this juncture in the series should help Indian cricket in the long run.

Conclusion

With the pros of dropping Rohit Sharma for the Sydney Test massively outweighing the cons, the skipper should sit out the crucial encounter in the interest of the side. As unprecedented as it maybe, the move could also be pathbreaking and one Indian cricket looks back on with satisfaction when they ponder such decisions in the future.