"Would he have given another chance to a player who performed like this?" - India legend's scathing take on Rohit Sharma's future after BGT 2024-25

India legend Sunil Gavaskar reckons Rohit Sharma's future as a Test cricketer should be clear in the selectors' minds. He questioned whether the Indian captain would have given another chance to someone else who would have performed as poorly as he did over the last few months, including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.

Rohit opted out of the final Test against Australia in Sydney due to his indifferent form. However, the move did not yield the desired results as India lost the game by six wickets on Sunday (January 5) to lose the five-match series 1-3.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gavaskar was asked about his thoughts on Rohit's Test future.

"If he had been a selector, you don't have a vote as a captain but are a co-opted member of the selection committee, would he have given another chance to a player who performed like this? If you say, yes, you would have given another chance to such a player, then it's different," he responded.

The former India captain pointed out that Rohit's dismal returns in his last six Tests were evident.

"If some other player had so many failures, three Test matches against New Zealand and three Test matches here, and you would have said you wanted to pick him, it's different, or else the thing is clear in front of the selection committee," Gavaskar observed.

Rohit Sharma aggregated 31 runs at a paltry average of 6.20 in five innings in BGT 2024-25. He has scored 122 runs at an average of 11.09 in his last six Tests.

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"The second thing is about the age" - Sunil Gavaskar on Rohit Sharma's potential unavailability for the 2027 WTC final

Rohit Sharma had a top score of 10 in BGT 2024-25. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Sunil Gavaskar noted that Rohit Sharma's age is also not on his side.

"The second thing is about the age. It's different if someone is 25 or 26 years of age. Whatever, I have said previously, it's not about Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli or (Ravichandran) Ashwin, I am saying that the next World Test Championship cycle is starting in June. It will be a series in England," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that only players likely to be at the top of their game for the entire next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle should be picked for the England tour later this year.

"Then when the final will be after two years in June 2027, will all these players be available for that? By available I mean whether they will be fit to play, whether they will be fit performance-wise. If not, I would stay start afresh from the England series," Gavaskar observed.

In a recent interview, Rohit Sharma stated that his decision to opt out of the final Test against Australia doesn't imply that he is retiring from the longest format. The 37-year-old pointed out that he could regain his form over the next few months.