It might seem harsh on Rohit Sharma but India captain is up for a tough week. After losing Asia Cup and T20 World Cup, Rohit is facing an acid test against Australia, away from home comfort. Rohit’s Test captaincy is 6-match-old and even though he has won both series, his own poor form has put a question mark on his ability to lead beyond WTC Final 2023. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to hold talks after World Cup 2023 in October.
BCCI is not in a hurry to appoint a Test captain. However, with the end of the WTC Final, India will begin a new WTC cycle in West Indies. There will be no change in stance till World Cup 2023. But another failure will lead to the axe falling on his head with age not by his side.
Rohit at 36 does not have long. World Cup may very well be his last stand in ODIs. As for Tests, his string of injuries could be a factor.
“There is absolutely no hurry in finding a Test captain. Rohit is fit and fine. Whatever the outcome of WTC is, he will remain India captain in Tests. But yes, we are still unsure how long he will continue playing Test. We have not had a discussion regarding that. But sometime after World Cup, we will have discussions with Rohit,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
BCCI has already identified Rohit’s successor in T20. Hardik Pandya even though has not been officially promoted as the new T20 captain, he is all set to lead India in the next T20 World Cup. Whether Rohit plays in T20 WC 2024 depends a lot on IPL 2024.
Why is it an acid Test for Rohit Sharma?
In the last two years, India have played 19 Tests and Rohit has missed 8 of them owing to injuries. He missed his first assignment — 5th Test against England in 2021 — as the Test captain after Covid-19 diagnosis. Under Rohit’s captaincy, India have failed to win Asia Cup and T20 WC. Furthermore, India have lost an ODI series to Bangladesh. All of that could impact Rohit’s future in the long run.
It is unlikely that Rohit will step down from Tests immediately after WTC Final if India lose yet another trophy. But a loss to Sri Lanka in Asia Cup T20 and a 10-wicket loss to England in T20 WC along with WTC loss could force BCCI to lose confidence in Rohit.
However, with ODI World Cup just 4 months away, BCCI is not going to take any action as winning the trophy is the priority. BCCI won’t take any harsh call that could jeopardise India’s chances in the mega tournament.
- But the other reason is the lack of quality captaincy options.
- KL Rahul has been struggling with injuries and is out of captaincy reckoning.
- Rishabh Pant is also out for a long time after a horrific car crash.
- Jasprit Bumrah too is making a comeback from injury.
- Cheteshwar Pujara is also 35 and handing over captaincy reins doesn’t justify a long-term vision.
- Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are not options. While Kohli does not want to lead, Rahane has just made a comeback to the Tets squad.
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