Head coach Gambhir refuses to confirm Rohit’s place in Sydney XI

SYDNEY: The question was simple. Will Rohit Sharma play in the fifth and final Test against Australia?

Had Sharma’s position been secure, the answer should have been “Yes.” Yet, India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s response at a pre-match press conference was: “We will take a call on the playing XI after looking at the pitch.”

The ambiguous response, intriguing and dramatic, naturally sparked speculation that the out-of-form skipper was no longer sure of his place in the playing XI.

Within a few hours, it swirled into near confirmation that the 37-year-old Rohit is set to become the first serving Indian captain who would be dropped for poor form. And it all began with one line.

Gambhir’s reply summed up the tour for Rohit, who missed the first Test due to the birth of his second child.

Ever since he landed Down Under, Rohit the batter has been battered by extra bounce and seam movement and Rohit the skipper has been left bruised by the scathing criticism of his leadership.

And as the tour draws to a close, his career as a Test cricketer seems headed for a dispiriting climax.

Rohit, just like in Melbourne, was last among recognised batters to enter the nets, and if he is dropped he would have no one to blame except the abysmal return of 31 runs from five innings.

If the expected happens, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been the team’s top performer with an astonishing 30 wickets in four outings at a sub-20 average, will take over the leadership role. It was under Bumrah’s captaincy that India won its only Test on the tour so far -- the lung-opener in Perth.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Anil Kumble walked into Test retirements mid-series as their bodies could no longer take the rigours of the longest format.

However, in Rohit’s case, he will be dropped on the basis of form after Gambhir made it clear that performance is the only thing that would keep a player in the dressing room helmed by him.

If he doesn’t come out for toss on Friday, it would be safe to conclude that Rohit played his last knock at the MCG earlier this week where he looked completely out of place on a good track.

While Gambhir didn’t spell out the playing eleven, there were enough indications that India might bring back Shubman Gill at number three.

“Indian cricket’s transition is in safe hands as long as there are honest people in the dressing room. Only criteria to be in that dressing room is performance,” Gambhir said at the pre-match press conference.

Trailing 1-2, a win for Australia will seal its place in the final at Lord’s against South Africa in the World Test Championship.

India, on other hand, not only requires a win but also needs Sri Lanka to not lose any of its two Tests at home against Pat Cummins’ men to qualify for the WTC final.