Rohit Sharma’s coach and longtime friend Abhishek Nayar could be seen appealing to fans to make way for the former India captain as he made his way out of Shivaji Park after a practice session as he builds up to India’s three-match ODI series in Australia. Rohit is set to play his first game of cricket in over four months after being named in India’s squad for the series, although captaincy of the squad has been taken away from him and handed over to Shubman Gill.
In videos that have gone viral on social media “Dhakka matt dena please, lagega usko. Hum sab fan hai lekin please lagna nahi chahiye usko, please door rehna. (Please don’t push, he will get hurt. We are all fans but please make sure he is not hurt),” Abhishek could be heard telling the crowd, prompting cheers from them. He then kept appealing to the fans to give Rohit space as the latter walked out of the gate and made his way through to his vehicle.
The captaincy change in ODIs marked an end to Rohit’s time as skipper in any format of the game. The 38-year-old had retired last year from T20Is after leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup and he retired from Tests in May this year. He had also been replaced by Hardik Pandya as captain of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League ahead of the 2024 season.
How Rohit has been preparing for the Australia series
Rohit Sharma and Abhishek Nayar during the India veteran’s practice session at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)
Rohit has been working with Nayar since August this year after taking a lengthy break following the Champions Trophy. The tournament turned out to be his last assignment as India’s captain in ODIs and he was player of the match as the team won the title. The 38-year-old had also made an appearance in the stands during India’s thrilling fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, which they won against all odds to draw the series 2-2.
Rohit, and fellow veteran Virat Kohli, have both been named in the squad for the Australia series but chief selector Ajit Agarkar has indicated that they would have to play domestic cricket to stay in contention for selection going into the 2027 World Cup. Both Rohit and Kohli are active only in ODIs, having both retired from T20Is and Tests last year and this year respectively.
The ODI series is the first leg of India’s white ball tour of Australia. The first ODI will be played in Perth on October 19, followed by the second in Adelaide on October 23. The third match will be on October 25 in Sydney. This will be followed by a five-match T20I series that will be played from October 29 to November 8.
