‘You have invited him, so you will behave politely’ – Irfan Pathan breaks silent on Rohit Sharma interview row during 2025 Sydney Test

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has disclosed inside information from Rohit Sharma’s popular interview at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the fifth and final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar series 2024-25. Rohit, the then-Test captain, had dropped out of the Sydney Test due to poor performance.

Rohit, who missed the series opener due to paternity leave, scored only 31 runs in three Tests during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. His alarming average of 6.20, the lowest ever by a touring skipper in Australia (minimum five innings), fuelled speculation that he might be dropped from the series decider as India sought to level the series.

Irfan Pathan, who interviewed Rohit in Sydney, said that the broadcasters were obligated to support the then-India captain, despite his long-standing troubles in the longest version of the game.

The cricketer-turned-expert stated that if Rohit had not been the Asian giants’ captain, he would have been dropped from the starting XI by the team management.

“Rohit Sharma is an amazing player in white-ball cricket, but his average in Test cricket that year was 6, so we said that if he was not the captain, he would not have had a place in the team, and this is true,” Pathan said in a snippet shared by Lallantop.

“People say that we supported Rohit Sharma more than necessary. Of course, when someone comes to interview on your broadcasting channel, you will not misbehave with them, right? You have invited him, so you will behave politely. When Rohit came to interview, we were, of course, polite, and we had to show that, because he was our guest. So that was connected and said we were supporting him, but it was we who said…we had said that he should keep fighting, but that said, he should not have had a place in the playing XI. If he was not the captain of the team, he would have been dropped,” he added.