'It was an emotional...': Rishabh Pant speaks out on Rohit Sharma's exclusion from Sydney Test against Australia

Rishabh Pant addressed the unexpected absence of Rohit Sharma from the playing XI in the fifth and final Test of the series against Australia in Sydney. Rohit made the decision to "opt out" of the match in Sydney due to a string of poor performances with the bat and questionable decision-making as captain. With India trailing 1-2 in the series, Jasprit Bumrah assumed the captaincy role leading the team onto the field for the toss in Sydney.

During the post-match press conference, Pant revealed that Rohit's decision was an emotional one. Describing him as the team's leader, Pant expressed understanding and support for Rohit's choice.

“It was an emotional decision because he has been captain for a long time. We see him as a leader of the team,” said Pant.

However, Pant declined to comment on the circumstances that resulted in Rohit's absence from the starting lineup.

“There are some decisions that you are not involved in, they are management's calls. So, I was not part of that conversation. I can't explain more than that,” said Pant further.

The events leading up to the fifth Test in Sydney were surrounded by controversy, as reports of dressing room discord within the Indian camp emerged. It was rumored that Rohit and head coach Gautam Gambhir were in disagreement leading to a lack of interaction between the two during India's training session on Thursday before the fifth Test.

Gambhir took the opportunity to address the pre-match press conference, a duty typically reserved for the captain, and declined to confirm Rohit's participation in the upcoming match.

Rohit had a challenging time with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy failing to reach double digits in any of his five innings and accumulating a total of just 31 runs at an average of 6.2. After missing the first Test due to paternity leave, he returned as a middle-order batsman for the second and third Tests before promoting himself to opener in Melbourne, where his struggles continued.

Despite changes in the playing XI, India's fortunes did not improve on Day 1 of the fifth Test, as they were bowled out for a mere 185 runs after choosing to bat first. Rishabh Pant was the top scorer with 40 runs off 98 deliveries, while Virat Kohli once again failed to make an impact, departing for just 17 runs.

Although India's batting faltered, Jasprit Bumrah provided a strong start with the ball by dismissing Usman Khawaja early on following a heated exchange with opening partner Sam Konstas. Australia finished the day at 9/1 setting the stage for an intriguing continuation of the Test match.

Also read| 'Time to retire': Fans slam Virat Kohli for another failure in Sydney Test vs Australia