Rohit Sharma broke his silence on his omission from playing XI for the fifth BGT Test against Australia. Having ‘opted out’, as the official word used by the stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah during the coin toss, Rohit revealed he sat out of the side due to poor form, a decision that doesn't foreshadow his Test retirement.

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Speaking to the host broadcaster for the first time since his exclusion from the playing XI for this decisive Test, Rohit said he realised he hadn’t done justice to his selection owing to a series of poor scores in the lead-up to this match.

As a result, he decided to willingly step aside, allowing young Shubman Gill to take his chance and help India square series.

Also read | BGT: Bumrah leaves SCG amid injury scare post lunch on day 2 – WATCH

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Reacting to reports of his potential Test retirement announcement with the conclusion of this Test, the regular Indian skipper said, "This decision is not a retirement decision, nor am I going to take myself out of the game.”

Explaining his decision, Rohit said he played this game enough to know that it might take longer than expected for him to return to form.

The veteran Indian cricketer added that those with a microphone, pen or laptop cannot take a call on his career, adding he believes that things can change quickly for him. 

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"I sat out of this match because runs are not coming off my bat. There is no guarantee runs won't come five or two months down the line. I have seen a lot in cricket that life changes every second, every minute, every day.

"I have confidence in me that things can change, but at the same time, I have to be realistic as well. So life won't change by what people with a mic, pen or laptop write or say. They can't decide when we should retire when we should sit out, when we should captain. I am a sensible man, a mature man, father of two kids. So I know what I need in life."

Rohit on when he made this decision

Rohit missed the series opener in Perth for personal reasons - the only Test India won thus far in the series under Bumrah’s captaincy.

He re-linked with the Indian Team midway into the first Test and played all three matches since. Though India lost two and drew one of those matches, conceding the lead and the chance to sail through into the WTC Final, Rohit’s form with the bat worried everyone, casting doubts over his selection.

Rohit said he decided to opt out of the playing XI upon landing in Sydney.

"I made this decision after coming here [to Sydney]," Rohit said. 

"We had only two days between the matches. On New Year's, I didn't want to have this chat with the selector and the coach. But it was in my mind that I am trying my best, but I am not getting the runs. I have to accept it and have to get myself out of the way.

"The chat that I had with the coach and the selector was very simple: my bat is not scoring runs, I am not in form, this is an important match, and we need players who are in form. As it is, the boys are not in great form. So, I had this simple thought in my mind: we can't carry out-of-form players,” the Indian captain noted.

Meanwhile, Rohit’s replacement, Gill, scored 20 and 13 across two innings at the SCG. 

(With inputs from agencies)