"If I Were Coach, Rohit Would’ve Played Final Australia Test": Ravi Shastri Takes Dig at Gambhir

Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri said that if he were still the head coach, he would have made sure Rohit Sharma played the fifth Test of the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar series. Rohit recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, just ahead of India’s upcoming five-match series against England, which begins on June 20.

As Test captain, Rohit Sharma led India in 24 matches and won 12 of them. He ended his Test career after playing 67 matches scoring 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57. His record includes 12 centuries and 18 fifties with a highest score of 212. Rohit was left out of the Indian team for the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series after a run of poor performances, scoring just 31 runs across the three matches he played against Australia.

"I saw Rohit a lot at the toss. At the toss, you don't get enough time to speak. Though I did put my hand on his shoulder in one of the games. I think it was in Mumbai, and I told him, if I was the coach you would have never not played that last Test match. You would have played that last Test match because the series wasn't over. And I'm not someone who threw in the towel with the scoreline 2-1. If your mindset is you feel you are… that's not the stage, you leave a team," Shastri said on the ICC Review show. 

“Even 35-40 Runs Could’ve Changed the Game” – Shastri

Shastri also explained why he wanted Rohit to play the final Test against Australia. He called the 37-year-old a"match-winner" and said that even if Rohit had scored just 35 to 40 runs on the pitch in Sydney, it could have made a big difference and possibly turned the match in India’s favour.

"That was a 30-40 run game. And that's exactly what I told him. The pitch was so spicy in Sydney. Whatever kind of form he was in, he's a match-winner. If he had gone, sensed the situation, sensed the condition and smashed it for even 35-40 at the top, you never know. That series would have been level. But that's each one to his own. Other people have different styles. This would have been my style and I let him know it. It's sitting in my heart for a long time. I had to get it out. And I told him that," Shastri said.

England Series to Begin New WTC Cycle

After Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket, Virat Kohli also announced his decision to step away from the format. With the two senior-most players stepping down, India is set to begin a new chapter in Test cricket. Their first big challenge in this new phase will be the series against England in June, which also marks the start of the new World Test Championship cycle.

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