The issue of leadership change was not directly mentioned in the SCG toss, with Bumrah only saying, “Our captain also showed leadership and chose to rest in this match. It shows the unity within the team.” ” Bumrah led India to victory in the first Test of the series in Perth when Rohit was on paternity leave.
Rohit was a peripheral presence as India made their final preparations ahead of the first ball in Sydney. He and the rest of the team arrived at the ground at 9am, but it was not until 15 minutes later that he entered the outfield at the SCG. By then, Bumrah had gone up to the pitch, completed his spot bowling routine and checked in with Gautam Gambhir. Rohit hit the ground at 9:15 am. He too ran straight towards the arena, bent down, and thrust his hand into it. He played some football with Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant. He was noticeably quiet during the team meeting where Gambhir and Virat Kohli were talking. Eventually, he finished the toss and left the stadium at 9:40 am. Reserve players and support staff lined up at the edge of the boundary line for the national anthem, but Rohit did not join them.
He was subsequently ruled out of the Test, which India needed to win to draw the series and avoid handing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia for the first time in a decade. Rohit, who joined the squad midway through the Perth Test after the birth of his son, gave up the opening position to KL Rahul, who played a key role at the top of the order as India took a 1-0 lead in the series.
However, after scoring only 3, 6 and 10 runs in the middle order in the second and third Tests, Rohit returned to the MCG but again suffered two failures and after five innings his series average was just 6.2. He averaged 13.30 in 10 innings against Bangladesh and New Zealand during the home season before the Australian tour.
Rohit’s year in Test cricket started positively with India’s 4-1 win at home against England between January and March. He then captained India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in June before retiring from that format, with his form taking a nosedive by September.
