‘That’s not the stage, you leave a team’ – Ravi Shastri on Rohit Sharma’s self-drop in Australia

The retirement of two of the biggest modern-day Indian cricket legends, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, has taken the world of Test cricket by surprise. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri recently opened up about his last conversation with the two stalwarts ahead of their decision.

Shastri shared his insights on Rohit's performance against Australia in a recent interview with Sanjana Ganesan. The 1983 World Cup winner, during the interview, openly stated that he was against the former India skipper’s decision to drop himself from the last Test match against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Notably, Rohit mentioned that the reason behind his decision was his lack of runs. While some experts supported the call, Shastri had a different perspective.

“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 told him, if I were 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 throws in the towel with the scoreline at 2-1. If your mindset is that you feel you are... that's not the stage where you leave a team,” Shastri said on The ICC Review.

“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 conditions, and smashed it for even 35–40 at the top, you never know. That series could have been level. But to each his own. People have different styles. This would have been my style, and I let him know it. It's been sitting in my heart for a long time. I had to get it out. And I told him that,” the former India all-rounder concluded.

Kohli was in a league of his own: Shastri

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Rohit's struggles in his final Test series

Speaking of Rohit Sharma’s performance in his last Test series, he played three Test matches in which he managed to score only 31 runs at an average of 6.20. This marked the lowest average for a Test captain visiting Australia - a record that was previously held by West Indies legend Courtney Walsh, with an average of 7.75.