3,3,6,10,3 is how India’s skipper Rohit Sharma performed during the current tour of Australia. The series’ first Test in Perth, which the tourists won by 295 runs, was skipped by the 37-year-old. He played in the warm-up match against Prime Minister XI prior to the Pink Ball Test, scoring three runs, but he has been incredibly useless ever then. His leadership has also come under fire because India hasn’t been able to establish their dominance in the middle.
At the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, Rohit was criticised for starting the day with Mohammed Siraj and then swapping after just one over during the Boxing Day Test. He was also criticised by former cricket player Simon Katich for being a reactive captain as opposed to a purposeful one. In the fourth Test, India hasn’t been using the ball to attack, and the bowlers—Siraj in particular—are also under pressure. In the 23 overs he bowled during the game, the 30-year-old failed to stop the run total at 122.
In the meantime, Rohit Sharma received further criticism after failing to advance to the opening position in the Melbourne Test.
In trying to regain his form, the captain returned to the top of the order, but he only lasted five balls before being removed by Pat Cummins in the game’s second over. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal performed admirably in the first three Test matches. The pacer sought to be pulled by the Nagpur native, but Scott Boland made a simple catch before he could time it.
In Australia, Rohit’s stats are also quite low. The opener scored 430 runs at an average of 25.29 in 10 Test matches. The skipper must set an example for the rest of the series if India is to recover, especially because the World Test Championship final position is up for grabs. Rohit needs to get better at captaining the team if he isn’t contributing by scoring runs in order for the visitors to have some spirit.
Both fans and previous cricket players have criticised the player’s performance, which has led to a great deal of criticism in the meantime.
Here’s how ‘X’ reacted:
Rohit Sharma resigning from the captaincy is the only present I want this Christmas! #RohitSharma #INDvsAUS #BoxingDayTest
— Parth Acharya (@advparthacharya) December 27, 2024
Despite whatever happens in Sydney test, Ajit Agarkar should drop Rohit Sharma in tests. He is a walking wicket & a clueless captain. #INDvsAUS #INDvAUS
— Hetansh (@HetanshP09) December 27, 2024
In this BGT
Rohit Sharma :- 22 runs
Jasprit Bumrah:- 25 wktThe tough battle going on between the greats of the game
— Atharv (@candicepiv2) December 27, 2024
Rohit Sharma dug out me jakar sbko btyga, is pitch par khelna kese hai 😂 #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/Z56epFBgVB
— Rohit 🚩🚩 (@HPindia01) December 27, 2024
Demoted well established KL rahul to miss well deserved century by 97 runs, selfless captain Rohit Sharma for you. #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/8NGKqjmkUg
— ByteWizard🇮🇳 (@Binary_Boss07) December 27, 2024
R Ashwin announced retirement in between series,
Can Rohit Sharma announce Retirement in between innings….. India can still play with 10 players #RohitSharma #INDvsAUS #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4lZgAmXOOo— Dr Artistic Soul (@dr_artisticsoul) December 27, 2024
Won’t be surprised if Rohit Sharma gets the same amount of boos in the IPL as Hardik.
He can only redeem himself if he makes a Champions trophy of his own otherwise he is in Trouble. #INDvsAUS— Mitesh (@miteshagarwal_) December 27, 2024
The way Manjrekar criticised Rohit Sharma for changing the opening combination just for his self
Liked how he termed him as “selfish”
— POTT⁷⁶⁵ (@KlolZone) December 27, 2024
Muddled minds. No clear thinking. Zero planning. Ball chasing. Badi badi baatein. Bad results. Proud Test legacy destroyed. No accountability.
The summary of this Rohit Sharma-Gautam Gambhir regime. These guys cannot take Indian cricket forward, they have no clarity & no vision.
— Vipul Ghatol 🇮🇳 (@Vipul_Espeaks) December 27, 2024
If you translate Rohit Sharma’s captaincy into numbers you get Siraj bowling figures.
— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) December 27, 2024
Siraj, Bumrah, Akash Deep, Starc, Cummins, Boland, Lyon, Hazelwood all have better batting average than Rohit Sharma this BGT
— arfan (@Im__Arfan) December 27, 2024
Rohit Sharma is pound-for-pound the worst test captain India’s ever had. The resources at his disposal, the stage the team was at when he inherited it, the absolute power he’s been afforded by the board; it’s amazing how badly he’s f’ed this up. This has got to be the end.
— Vignesh (@country_brute) December 27, 2024
It’s been 10 years since India were bullied the way they have been this morning on Australian soil & it’s the kind of session which can really expose a touring captain as this one has Rohit Sharma #AusvInd
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) December 27, 2024
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