Rishabh Pant, India's wicketkeeper-batter, broke his silence on Rohit Sharma’s unexpected omission from the playing XI in the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Sharma, who became the first Indian captain to opt out of an ongoing international series, handed over the captaincy reins to Jasprit Bumrah, allowing Shubman Gill to take his spot in the playing XI.

Pant revealed the emotional weight of Rohit's decision, calling it a "selfless act" and highlighting the unity within the team.

Speaking to the media after Day 1, Pant admitted that Rohit’s absence was felt strongly by the team, but he respected the decision.

"It was definitely an emotional decision because he's been captain for a long time. We see him as a leader of the team but some decisions are management calls and as players, we aren't always involved in them," said Pant.

Earlier, at the toss, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah praised Rohit for resting in the team’s best interest, saying, "Our captain showed the unity of our team, and there’s no selfishness here."

Reflecting on his own performance, Pant, who scored 40 from 98 balls in India’s underwhelming total of 185 all out, explained his conservative approach, a marked contrast to his usual aggressive batting style.

“I think in this innings, I wasn’t in a frame of mind where I wanted to take charge of the game because the wicket was doing too much, and the situation we were in demanded caution,” Pant explained.

He added, "I might have taken a few more chances, but sometimes you have to play more secure cricket, especially considering how the wicket was behaving. We knew if we lost another wicket here, we could lose 2-3 in quick succession."