Gambhir lauds Rohit's decision to step down amid poor form
What's the story
Indian cricket team's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has praised captain Rohit Sharma for resigning from the team due to his poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Sharma's average was a dismal 6.20 in this series and an even worse 10.93 in his last 15 innings.
This prompted him to pass on the captaincy baton to Jasprit Bumrah, a decision Gambhir believes deserves appreciation even if it didn't yield the desired results.
Media response
Gambhir defends Rohit against media criticism
Defending Sharma against media criticism, Gambhir said more sensibility could have been exercised in reporting.
He supported the Indian captain's decision to step down, stressing on the importance of putting team interests first.
"When a captain or leader takes such a call, I don't think it's bad. I think everyone has to keep the team first, and Rohit did that," Gambhir said at a press conference in Sydney.
Performance review
Rohit's performance and future participation remain uncertain
Ahead of the Sydney Test, Gambhir didn't confirm Sharma's participation, saying the final call would be taken after looking at the pitch conditions.
Despite Sharma's dismal batting show in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy where he managed just 31 runs in three Tests, Gambhir stayed non-committal about his inclusion in the playing XI.
Meanwhile, the move of excluding Sharma did not turn out to be fruitful as India lost the SCG Test by six wickets and the series by 1-2 margin.
Slump continues
Rohit's batting slump continues in Australia
Sharma is currently going through a major slump.
In the three series India has played this season (two at home), Sharma has managed just 164 runs in 15 innings with an average of just 10.93.
His performance on the Australian tour has been the worst, having scored a paltry 31 runs with just one score in double digits.
Notably, Jasprit Bumrah was India's designated captain at SCG in Sharma's absence.