"Not an all-time great to keep his exclusion mysterious" - Former India batter's stunning claim on Rohit Sharma's absence from BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has an interesting take on Rohit Sharma's absence from the playing XI for the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series. Jasprit Bumrah returned to lead the team as the Men in Blue attempt to retain the trophy by winning the final Test and ending the campaign at 2-2.

Rohit Sharma was panned for his batting and leadership in the last three Tests, during which India lost their way and gave up the early series lead. After India failed to grind for a draw in the Boxing Day Test, the fifth Test became a must-win affair from both the World Test Championship (WTC) and Border-Gavaskar Trophy standpoints.

Bumrah lauded Rohit during the toss for putting the team first in this particular situation.

"Our skipper has opted to rest. It shows the unity we have. We have two changes. Rohit has opted out and Prasidh comes in for the injured Akash Deep," Bumrah told Ravi Shastri out in the middle after opting to bat first (via Cricbuzz)

Manjrekar, however, felt that the uproar and enigma surrounding Rohit Sharma's exclusion or decision to drop himself wasn't justified, considering his bleak red-ball career compared to Virat Kohli.

“Rohit is well rested. The issue I have with Indian cricket culture, the secretive operation. Rohit is not an all-time great to keep his exclusion mysterious. I can understand if it’s Virat Kohli. But Rohit has played 60-odd Tests with one overseas century and an average of just 40. I don’t get why it should be so mysterious," Sanjay Manjrekar said on-air (via Wisden)

A challenging tour of England in mid-2025 is up next for the Indian side. If the team fails to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC), there is a high chance that Rohit Sharma may have played his last Test for India.

"Could not understand the ‘cloak & dagger’ around the issue" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Rohit Sharma's absence

The former player added that Rohit Sharma made the right call in 'typical' fashion, but failed to understand why it was being kept under wraps. He also questioned why the issue was not spoken at length during the toss.

"So typical of Rohit Sharma. Doing the right thing, doing what’s right for the team. But could not understand the ‘cloak & dagger’ around the issue. Wasn’t even talked about at the toss," Sanjay Manjrekar wrote on X

Team India is struggling with the bat after making the brave call to bat first on a green deck under overcast conditions. Both the opening batters are back in the hut, with the score reading 17-2 in the eighth over.