India captain Rohit Sharma's future in Test cricket remains uncertain after his absence from the recently concluded Sydney Test against Australia. Speculation that Rohit was dropped sparked rumours he was no longer in the selectors' plans. However, in an interview, Rohit clarified the situation.

It is also believed that Rohit's clarification during the interview has made the selector annoyed with the Indian captain. 

However, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Rohit Sharma chose to clarify his stance because Gautam Gambhir was receiving credit for the brave decision to leave the Indian captain out of the lineup.

“But there was also another reason why he was doing that interview. To clear the air. Somewhere I think Gambhir was getting all the credit for a brave call by leaving Rohit Sharma out. He wanted to set the record straight.”

He firmly stated that he "isn't retiring" and revealed that his decision to "opt out" of the match was due to his poor form. Rohit finished the series with just 31 runs across three matches.

"One thing that a lot of players say is that 'I will decide my future.' I have a problem with that. You can decide your future with regards to retirement, but somebody else has got the job to decide your future as a player and captain," Manjrekar added.

The former batter emphasised the importance of respecting the hierarchy within Indian cricket, regardless of a player's stature. He stated that the chairman of selectors holds significant authority and can make decisions in the best interests of the team's long-term future. 

According to him, it is within the chairman’s power to decide whether a player's career should end, whether they should be given a few more matches, or one more series. While retirement remains a player's personal choice, the privilege of playing for India is determined by the selectors.