Rohit Sharma, who was expected to emulate his IPL captaincy on the international arena, travelled to London for both his first-ever mission abroad and his largest assignment as a Test skipper. India, meanwhile, was completely outplayed at The Oval before losing by 209 runs, failing to match the level that Australia reached throughout the World Test Championship final. After the 2022 T20 World Cup, it was India’s second consecutive loss in a WTC final and second unsuccessful attempt to win an ICC championship. With the BCCI’s selection committee expected to make a decision this year, the WTC final outcome has now raised serious doubts over Rohit’s ability to continue as Test captain.
Rohit Sharma’s Leadership at Stake
The Indian team would likely be led by Rohit in their opening two-match series against West Indies in the WTC 2023/25 cycle, according to a PTI report. However, if Rohit doesn’t perform as expected as a hitter in the two games, the selectors may make a significant decision. These allegations that Rohit might lose his position as captain are unfounded. According to a senior BCCI official who spoke to PTI on the condition of anonymity, “Yes, it is a significant issue whether he will last the entire two-year WTC cycle as he would be nearly 38 when the third edition ends in 2025. “At this time, I think Shiv Sunder Das and his teammates will need to make a decision based on his batting form and the results of the two Test matches.”
Rohit Sharma’s Test Captaincy Prospects and the Selectors’ Timeframe
After the West Indies Test series, India will turn their attention to ODI World Cup preparation, and they won’t play the format again until the end of the event at home, which starts in October. “After West Indies, we won’t play another Test until the team’s trip to South Africa at the end of December. Therefore, the selectors have adequate time to think things through and make a choice. By that time, the panel will also include the fifth selector (the new chairman), and a decision can be made, he noted. According to the report, Rohit was hesitant to assume the Test captaincy after Virat Kohli stepped down from the position in January 2022. Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, who were unimpressed with KL Rahul’s captaincy in that one game in South Africa, persuaded Rohit to accept the position. When KL Rahul failed to make an impression as captain in South Africa, the two top men at the time—former president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah—had to persuade him to accept the position, the source informed PTI. In his seven Tests as India’s captain to date, Rohit has missed three matches: one in England due to COVID 19 and two in Bangladesh due to split webbing. He scored 390 runs in those seven games at an average of 35.45, with his 120-run performance against Australia in Nagpur serving as his lone notable performance.
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