Rohit's road ahead: Tough to see ‘Hitman' in India jersey beyond Champions Trophy

Sydney, PTI: The recent Melbourne Test against Australia was possibly Rohit Sharma's last appearance for India in the traditional format, but will this white ball colossus continue beyond next month's Champions Trophy is the million dollar question. Rohit's absence from the ongoing fifth Test might have been sugarcoated as “opted to rest” by everyone concerned but if one cuts through the niceties, he is as good as dropped. When the name in talks is as big as Rohit, who has given his everything for the country for the past 17 years, his future appearances could be open to conjecture.

As it is, he has retired from T20 Internationals post India's victory in the ICC World Cup earlier this year in the West Indies. The selectors will certainly have discussions after the Australia series and the roadmap for both Rohit and Virat Kohli will be decided. The wisemen will now have to sit together to pick the team for the England bilateral series at home and the Champions Trophy. Obviously, the longevity of Kohli's Test career hinges on the second innings at Sydney and it is increasingly becoming difficult to carry him for the England series unless he makes a significant contribution here.

So, is there a way forward for Rohit, the Test cricketer? Unfortunately, the next Test match that India will play if they don't qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final is against England from June 18-22 in Leeds. Of course, the selection committee will take call only after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but someone as intelligent as Rohit, a T20 World Cup and five-time IPL winning skipper, knows that it is difficult to add to his 67 Test appearances.

Having been “nudged” into taking rest here, does Rohit have it in him to slog it out in the domestic cricket when Ranji Trophy resumes later this month, as there will be no red ball cricket available for him before the England tour? If yes, then Rohit is sending out a message to go out on his own terms. The selectors can decide not to select him for Tests but whether to quit a format is the player's sole prerogative and he is answerable to none. But if the answer is a no, then, the Ajit Agarkar committee cannot pick a 38-year-old for the next World Test Championship cycle.