Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Off-Broadway exit looms for Rohit Sharma as Indian champion left without a stage

67 Test matches, 12 hundreds with an average of 40.6 and a highest score of 212, these are the numbers of a champion. The Sydney Cricket Ground has often been the last call for many of Australia’s and cricket’s greatest stars. In 1984 Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rod Marsh all called time while in 2007 Justin Langer, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne ended their glittering careers. With his record, Sharma would be worthy to join those champions in calling time at this famous ground. But, despite rumours he is close to retirement, he won’t get the chance with India revealing Sharma had ‘rested’ himself with Jasprit Bumrah to captain in Sydney. “Our captain has shown his leadership as well, he has chosen to rest from this game. It shows the unity within the team,” Bumrah said at the toss. Perhaps because he is captain they allowed him to use ‘rested’ but make no mistake Sharma, either of his own volition or by his coach Gautam Gambhir’s, has been dropped. For one he doesn’t need a rest having only played three Tests but the heat was on after his failures with the bat averaging an anemic 6.2 from his five innings while some questioned his captaincy at the MCG. India aren’t scheduled to play another Test until June against England, assuming they don’t make the World Test Championship final, and it’s difficult to see how Sharma works his way back into the side by then. At 37 years old he doesn’t have youth on his side and if he wasn’t captain it’s hard to see how he would’ve been selected for this tour. He started off the year well with two hundreds against England and leading India to the T20 World Cup title in June after which he retired from the format. But in his ten innings before this series, Sharma averaged just 13.3 against Bangladesh and New Zealand as India lost their first home series in more than a decade. Perhaps Sharma should have called time in front of his home fans but knowing the challenge Australia presents his experience would have been a big factor in keeping him on as captain. However, it’s proved to be a bridge too far for the aging star, unable to find his place in the middle or top order. It would be a massive shame for Sharma to depart the Test arena without a swan song but he’s being played off the stage as an off-broadway exit looms.