Rohit Sharma’s woes continue to mount – both as a batter and as India captain – as he came under fire for a poor show in IND vs AUS 4th Test. While his captaincy is already being criticised over team selection and rotation of bowlers, the Hitman failed to fire once again with the bat, sparking a big concern for India. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the line, it is imperative for India to take a bold call and drop the captain from the playing XI for the final Test in Sydney.
Why India need to drop Rohit Sharma for Sydney Test
Rohit‘s return to the top-order as the opener was short-lived as he was sent packing for just three runs by Australian skipper Pat Cummins. The manner in which he was dismissed – attempting a short-arm pull shot that saw the fielder take an easy catch – proves that the Hitman is very well out of form, something that has plagued him in the latter half of 2024. As ex-chief selector MSK Prasad pointed out, Rohit has been miserable with the bat since the series against New Zealand at home and it could well be the case that the team’s morale is affected by his poor form with the bat.
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India have better batters in their squad who warrant for a place in the playing XI. Firstly, the opening combination of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal should have never been tinkered with. The duo have tasted success in the ongoing series and should have been given a longer run instead of Rohit inserting himself at the top. Secondly, Sharma’s experiment of batting in the middle-order flopped too, as he managed to score just 19 runs in three innings.
Overall, Rohit has only manage to score 22 runs so far in the ongoing series. The likes of Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan and Shubman Gill – all who have immense skill with the bat – are warming the bench while the Indian skipper is getting chance after chance despite flopping on every occasion.
Allow Jasprit Bumrah to lead the team
Jasprit Bumrah proved his ability as captain by leading the side from the front to a 295-run win in the 1st Test in Perth. Besides, he is also India’s leading wicket-taker and hence is an apt replacement for Rohit as skipper, being a top-performer for the side in the ongoing series. He even earned praise for his captaincy skills in Perth, with many throwing their weight behind the pacer to retain the role as captain.
Rohit came into the tour against Australia riding on the back of a 0-3 series defeat to New Zealand at home, the first time in history that it has happened. In his very first outing in Adelaide, India suffered a 10-wicket defeat. Rain and some brilliant bowling saved India of the blues in the 3rd Test in Brisbane.
In the 4th Test, Sharma’s decision to include two spinners, drop Shubman Gill has copped flak. Similarly, his decisions on burning reviews, placing fielders, rotation of bowlers have also been questioned. Given all the criticism directed at Sharma, it will be wise for India to drop him – both as batter and captain – and instead let Bumrah lead the side while including another deserving batter in the XI.
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