Rohit Sharma Dropped Mid-Series: A Historic Shift in Indian Cricket

Rohit Sharma will be dropped from the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney due to poor form, making him the first Indian captain to be dropped mid-series for performance reasons. Jasprit Bumrah will assume captaincy as India trails the series 1-2 and must win the Sydney Test to retain the trophy. Rohit's poor form has been evident, scoring just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20, the worst-ever performance by a visiting captain in Australia.

Rohit played as an opener in Melbourne after initially batting at No. 6 in Adelaide and Brisbane but failed to regain form. KL Rahul is set to return as an opener alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, with Shubman Gill batting at No. 3 after being dropped for the fourth Test.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that Rohit will not be part of the final playing XI, emphasizing that decisions would be finalized on match day. Gambhir, addressing speculation, noted that there are no personal issues with Rohit.

Instances of captains being dropped mid-series in international cricket include Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan, 2014), Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka, 2014), and Mike Denness (England, 1974). Rohit Sharma joins this rare list, with Bumrah leading India in a crucial Test.