Test cricket has been caught off guard by the retirement of two of the greatest Indian cricket legends of the modern era, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of India, has talked candidly about his final discussion with the two legends prior to their decision.
Ravi Shastri recently spoke with Sanjana Ganesan about his thoughts on Rohit’s performance against Australia. In the interview, the 1983 World Cup champion publicly expressed his disapproval of the former India captain’s choice to withdraw from the last Test match against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Notably, Rohit stated that his lack of runs was the cause of his choice. Although some experts agreed with the call, Shastri disagreed.
At the toss, I saw Rohit a lot. You don’t have enough time to talk during the toss. In one of the games, I believe it was in Mumbai, I did put my hand on his shoulder and tell him that if I had been the coach, he would have never missed the last Test match. Since the series was still in play and I don’t give up when the score is 2-1, you would have played that last Test match. On The ICC Review, Shastri stated, “If your attitude is that you feel like you are… that’s not the stage where you leave a team.”
The score was between 30 and 40 runs. And I told him precisely that. In Sydney, the pitch was really hot. Regardless of his current status, he is a match-winner. You never know what may have happened if he had gone, sensed the circumstances, and crushed it for even 35 to 40 at the top. It may have been a level series. To each his own, however. Individuals differ in their styles. I told him that this would have been my style. I’ve had it in my heart for a while now. I needed to remove it. The former India all-rounder concluded, “And I told him that.”
The difficulties Rohit Sharma faced in his last Test series
In reference to Rohit Sharma’s performance in his most recent Test series, he participated in three Test matches and scored just 31 runs at an average of 6.20. With an average of 7.75, West Indies great Courtney Walsh had previously held the record for the lowest average by a Test captain travelling to Australia.
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