Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has made a sensational revelation regarding Rohit Sharma's interview during the India vs Australia 5th Test at Sydney.
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Rohit decided to 'opt out' of the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy after his poor performances in the first four games. Pathan revealed that the broadcasters were compelled to publicly support the then-India captain, who had a very average series in Australia.
What did Irfan Pathan say about dropping Rohit Sharma?
Rohit's performances with the bat in the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia were deeply concerning for the team. Across eight Tests last year, the 38-year-old batter from Mumbai scored just 164 runs.
He had been struggling in the longest format. Rohit ended the Australia tour with the lowest batting average (6.20) by any visiting captain in history.
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In a teaser clip released by Lallantop, Pathan addressed Rohit's poor Test performances and remarked that the broadcasters were compelled to back the Indian skipper despite his poor run in the red-ball format.
"People say that we supported Rohit Sharma more than necessary. Of course, when someone comes to interview on your broadcasting channel, you will not misbehave with them, right?... When Rohit came to interview, we were, of course, polite, and we had to show that, because he was our guest. So that was connected and said we were supporting him..."
Rohit's performances in the longest format were dramatically deteriorating. There was considerable criticism surrounding his poor returns, and his place in the XI was not secure, as revealed by Irfan Pathan. Pathan bluntly stated that Rohit's place in the XI solely rested on his captaincy.
'रोहित शर्मा कप्तान नहीं होते तो...' रोहित शर्मा से जुड़े विवाद पर इरफान पठान ने क्या बताया? #GITN में देखिए पूरी बातचीत.@saurabhtop@IrfanPathan pic.twitter.com/dleQZB6EtQ
— The Lallantop (@TheLallantop) August 13, 2025
"We had said that he should keep fighting, but that said, he should not have had a place in the playing XI. If he were not the captain of the team, he would have been dropped," added Pathan
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Rohit eventually called time on his Test career post the Australia series, announcing his retirement in May ahead of the England Test tour. Reports suggested that the Indian captain wanted to continue for the England red-ball tour; however, the Indian team management wasn't really keen to give him another go and wanted to move on from the Indian skipper.