SYDNEY Sydney: Australian batting great Ricky Ponting on Friday said he is “surprised” by talk from the Indian camp about Rohit Sharma's absence from the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but admitted the move was expected. The match started here on Friday, in which the visiting team will try to level the series by winning and retain the trophy. However, Jasprit Bumrah, who came for the toss, said that Rohit had decided to “rest” from the Sydney Test. Has opted for”.

“I think the reaction has been that everyone expected it to happen,” Ponting told the ICC Review. “There was talk over the last few days that everyone expected Rohit not to play in this match, Shubman Gill will come back and (Jasprit) Bumrah will probably take over the captaincy again and that's what happened.” Given the circumstances, Ponting was completely convinced that an out-of-form Rohit would be ruled out of the decider at the Sydney Cricket Ground. But the former Australian captain was surprised by the news from the Indian camp.

Ponting said, “I was very surprised when I heard the word 'opt out' in such an important match.” “We know he has been a great player for Indian cricket for a long time. So the way he has said it, you can only take it at face value.”What we are hearing from the Indian camp , that's got to be believed, but with it being such a big game, knowing they had to win this match to retain the trophy, it was an interesting moment for one of their more experienced players to opt out. ”

The 37-year-old white-ball great looked like a pale shadow of himself in the ongoing series in Australia, struggling to execute even his favorite shots, including the trademark front foot pull.The traditional pre-match warm-up During the session, Rohit was seen playing football with Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan, who along with Abhimanyu Easwaran will end the series without any international matches.

Ponting didn't say it in so many words, but he understood very well that this could be the end for Rohit in the traditional format of the game.

“You would think that the road back to this format of the game is probably much longer for Rohit Sharma,” Ponting said. “I believe India don't play any Test matches until mid or late June, which is It's a long way from being in the final stages of your career. I think he has been a fantastic player for India, so with players like that, you wish him all the best and hope to see him on the field again, but as I said, I think the comeback for him The road to India will be long and perhaps difficult.” Kohli's catch was clean. Ponting had no doubt that Steve Smith's effort at second slip off Kohli's bat was clean. Kohli edged Scott Boland's ball Hit to the edge at second slip, where Smith Smith dived to his right, seemed to catch the ball near the ground and then lofted it high into the lane, where Marnus Labuschagne completed the catch.