Rohit Sharma, a prominent name in Indian cricket, is celebrated for his outstanding abilities in white-ball formats. However, his Test captaincy has come under scrutiny following a string of disappointing performances. While he ranks as India’s 16th-highest run-scorer in Test history and 13th in batting average, his recent statistics as captain, particularly against Australia, reveal significant issues in both his leadership and form.
A Historic Low in Indian Test Cricket Under His Leadership
Under his captaincy, India has faced considerable challenges. A key setback was the home Test series loss to New Zealand, a defeat that hadn’t happened in over a decade. This loss also ended India’s impressive 18-series winning streak at home, a record that showcased their strength in subcontinental conditions. Rohit’s failure to lead effectively has sparked doubts about whether the pressures of captaincy are impacting his batting performance.
Since 2022, under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy India has lost 8 matches out of 22, which aggregates to loss percentage of 36.36% which is the worst, comparing leaderships of last 3 Full-Time Test captains – MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The Loss to New Zealand
In 2024, under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, India lost a home Test series to New Zealand for the first time in 12 years. This loss was significant for several reasons:
- End of the Winning Streak: The defeat ended India’s 18-series winning streak at home, a record that had been a testament to their consistency and superiority in home conditions.
- Psychological Impact: Losing a series at home, especially after such a long period of dominance, can have a psychological impact on the team. It raises questions about the team’s strategy, preparation, and leadership.
- Tougher road to WTC Final: This also lead to dwindling position of India at WTC finals, and for the first time in the entire season, India had to look at other team’s performance to seal its position in World Test Championship finals.
Rohit Sharma’s Poor Record Against Australia
Australia has consistently highlighted Rohit Sharma’s vulnerabilities, both as a captain and a batsman:
- Low Batting Averages:
- In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Tests against Australia), heaverages just 30.40.
- His performance in Australia is even worse, with an average of only 26.68.
- This is a stark contrast to his overall Test average of 41.24, marking a significant decline. In fact, Australia is one of his least successful opponents in Tests, second only to Bangladesh, where he averages a mere 10.71.
Source: ESPNCricInfo
- Captaincy Pressure Worsening Performance:
- His batting average as captain has dropped to 31.84, compared to a much higher 46.87 when he is not in a leadership role.This decline underscores how the responsibilities of captaincy appear to burden Rohit, hindering his ability to stabilize innings and deliver crucial performances.
- Under his captaincy India has lost 8 matches out of 23, which aggregates to loss percentage of 36.36% which is the worst, comparing last 3 leading captains – MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Source: ESPNCricInfo
Rohit Sharma performance and how it influences the team’s outcome.
He has been a very effective constituent of India’s success story. His winning and losing match averages reveal a big dependency:
- In the matches India wins, Rohit averages an impressive 57.40.
- In matches India loses, it goes to 19.26.
This big difference shows a clear link: whenever Rohit does not perform well, India has a hard time winning. In the last two series, his bad form has matched India’s losses, increasing worries about his leadership and batting. Because of this trend, allowing Rohit Sharma to take some rest may help him regain his form and feel less stressed. It also gives others a chance to perform better. This choice may help the player and the team in the future.
Source: ESPNCricInfo
Should Rohit Have Been Rested for the Australia Series?
Considering his poor performance against Australia, there is a strong case to be made that he might have benefited from being rested.
