Amidst the backdrop of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirement during IPL 2025, and Shubman Gill’s subsequent captaincy, Irfan Pathan, former Indian all-rounder, made a striking comment concerning Rohit Sharma. Pathan revealed in an interview that Rohit Sharma would have been dropped from the playing XI if he were not the captain, citing Sharma’s below-par performance during the Australia tour.
Pathan stated that Rohit Sharma’s performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 was notably poor. He asserted that the opener would have been excluded from the playing XI, absent his captaincy status. Pathan conceded Sharma’s prowess in white-ball cricket, but underscored that his Test average during the series was only 6. Therefore, without his captaincy role, exclusion was highly probable.
The former cricketer also addressed questions regarding his support for Rohit Sharma despite his failures. He explained that as a commentator, he is bound to be respectful towards interviewees. He added that as Rohit was invited for the interview, he and his team maintained decorum. He highlighted that they treated Rohit with respect because he was their guest.
India struggled during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. Rohit Sharma’s performance was particularly disappointing in the five-match series. He scored only 31 runs in 5 innings with a meager average of 6.20. He subsequently opted out of the Sydney Test. Since retiring from cricket, Irfan Pathan has been working as a commentator.
Pathan did not get a commentary assignment in IPL 2025. According to reports, his exclusion from the commentary panel was due to his criticism of some players, including Rohit Sharma.