‘Rohit Sharma took a call and it was totally in his interests’: Indian captain accused of putting himself over team

Rohit Sharma has been under scrutiny for changing the batting line-up in the MCG Test, demoting in-form KL Rahul to number 3 and putting himself in the opening slot. Rohit batted in the middle order in the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests, where he failed to fire at number 6, but Rahul looked solid in those matches at the top. However, Rohit took the bold decision to return as opener at the MCG as Rahul was dropped to number 3, which led to Shubman Gill's ouster from the XI. India's Rohit Sharma leaves the field after being dismissed on day five of the fourth cricket Test match between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on December 30, 2024. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --(AFP)

The move backfired miserably as Rohit failed to cross the double-digit scores across two innings and was dismissed by 3 & 9. Rahul also failed to make an impact at number 3 as India lost the match by 184 runs.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra pointed out that in the past MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli took the big calls to try Rohit as openers in ODIs and Tests respectively to revive his career.

"For the first time in his career, he has taken a call for himself. In the past, calls have been taken for him. MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli took calls for him to move him from middle-order to opener. Dhoni did in ODIs, Virat did in Tests because they wanted Rohit to fire," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube show.

However, Chopra was not impressed with Rohit being a captain and took a decision which was in his own interests and not in the team's, as demoting Rahul to number 3 and dropping Shubman Gill weren't best for India.

"For the first time, captain Rohit took a call and it was totally in his interests. It was not in the team's interests. Let's be very honest. It can't be in the team's interests because Rahul was opening very well. Shubman Gill did well in 2023, he is the second-highest run-scorer. He has played in tough situations also. He was looking good in Adelaide too. But, he had to be dropped from the team," he added.

'Rohit thought about himself…'

Chopra was critical of Rohit and said it was the first time when he thought about himself over the team's best interests, and it backfired as India lost the match.

"All this is because Rohit thought about himself, not in the best interests of the team. For the first time in his captaincy career. It didn't turn out fine. India were not able to draw," he added.

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