New Delhi: If reports are to be believed, Rohit Sharma will not lead Team India in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday, January 3. Let alone leading the side, Rohit is all set to lose his place in playing X1 in the fifth Test with the team management reportedly losing patience over his dismal batting form.
One can imagine the severity of the situation when a captain is dropped for a high-stakes match which will decide the outcome of the series and potentially the fate of the team in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Such has been the form of Rohit (both as a captain) that the team management has been forced to wield the axe ahead of a must-win encounter. The writing has been on the wall for Rohit since he took charge in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval in the aftermath of a sensational win in the opener at Perth under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah.
India better off with Bumrah?
Ever since Rohit took charge, the team has looked disjointed, out of ideas and uncompetitive. How high are the chances of a team coming out on top under the leadership of an underperforming and out-of-sorts player than under the captaincy of someone like Bumrah, who not only has outshone his teammates but also the Australians in the first four matches of the series?
India’s extraordinary win in the Perth Test was set on the foundation laid by Bumrah, who led from the front with an extraordinary spell in the first innings. Bumrah inspired his teammates to a landmark win, something that Rohit has been unable to do in the series.
End of the road for Rohit?
The potential axing from Sydney is likely to be the final nail in the coffin for Rohit, who endured a horrendous 2024 as a batter and a captain.
Rohit’s overall numbers in Tests in 2024 paint a grim picture. The Indian skipper has scored only 619 runs in 14 Tests at a dismal average of 24.76, including just two centuries. Such numbers are poor enough for any player to not merit a selection and that looks to be the case for Rohit.
Sydney Test shuffle: Gill’s inclusion & India’s strategy
In the ongoing BGT, Rohit, with 31 runs has scored just 1 more run than Jasprit Bumrah’s total tally of wickets (30). With only one single-digit score (3, 6, 3, 10 and 9) in the series, his 31 runs in 3 Tests have come at a horrendous average of 6.20 – the lowest of any visiting captain in a Test series in Australia.
Under his leadership, India were whitewashed at home for the first time in a three-match series and have lost two Tests against Australia for the first time in 10 years.
Just because he is the captain, Shubman Gill, a talented player who has looked in decent touch this series, lost his place in the Melbourne Test. The young batter is likely to replace the veteran batter in the Sydney Test with Bumrah set to lead just like he did in the opener. As Team India looks to benefit from Bumrah’s Midas touch, Rohit, who has played 67 Tests, seems destined to end his unfulfilling Test career in the dressing room.
Rohit Sharma’s poor batting form and captaincy have reportedly led to his exclusion from India’s playing XI for the crucial fifth Test against Australia in Sydney. This decision comes as a significant blow to Rohit, potentially ending his Test career. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
