Gautam Gambhir calls out 'irresponsible' media rumors about Rohit Sharma's Sydney call: When a captain makes a decision...

During the tour of Australia, Rohit struggled with his bat, scoring only 31 runs in five innings across three Tests, resulting in a disappointing average of 6.20. This marked the lowest average recorded by a touring captain Down Under. His lackluster performance continued a poor run in the format since September, with just 164 runs scored at an average of slightly over 10 in eight matches.

Amid calls for dropping the Indian skipper and growing speculations on a possible retirement after the tour of Australia, Rohit decided to opt out of the fifth Test to make way for in-form batters in the team. However, the decision sparked various rumours on the Indian team, with one claiming that it was Gambhir who dropped Rohit as he prioritised a win in Sydney with the hopes of making the World Test Championship final, while another outlined a divide in the dressing room with the captain and the coach not seeing eye to eye ahead of the Sydney game.

‘When a captain or a leader takes a call…’

Taking to the presser after the loss in the series decider, Gambhir fumed at the media reports, calling for “sensibility” as he hailed Rohit for putting the team ahead in taking the big decision.

“The first thing I would like to say is that there were so many reports written and things said, I mean you could be more sensible about it. When a captain or a leader takes a call, keeping the team in mind, I don't think there's anything bad. A lot of things have been said, but ultimately, individuals are there, but most importantly, there is the team and the country. I think all players should keep the team ahead of their individual interests in. Rohit Sharma showed accountability at the top,” he said.

Gambhir also did not blame the Sydney defeat on stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah's inability to bowl in the second innings because of a back injury, despite claiming that the 31-year-old was "absolutely outstanding" over the course of the series.

"It would have been nice if he would have been there, but we still had five bowlers, and a good team is one which is not dependent on one individual," he said.

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