Indian national cricket team captain Rohit Sharma’s Test career is officially over as the selection committee looks beyond the veteran right-handed batsman.
The selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already conveyed a message to Rohit Sharma that he will not be considered for selection in red cricket after the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is currently underway in Australia.
What went wrong with Rohit Sharma – Test cricketer?
Rohit Sharma has enjoyed great success in Test cricket ever since he started opening the batting for the side. He played a few overs for India and proved to be one of the consistent performers.
In the first two cycles of the ICC Test World Cup, Rohit Sharma has been sensational with the bat and played a key role in India’s qualification for the finals of the mega event. The opening batsman scores 1094 runs at an average of 60.77 in the first WTC cycle and 758 runs at an average of 42.11 in the second WTC cycle.
He played a total of 40 World Test matches and scored 2716 runs at an average of 41.15, the most by any Indian batsman.
Rohit Sharma has also done a great job as a leader and things were going smoothly for him until the recent home Test series against the New Zealand cricket team. The Kiwis whitewashed India in the three-match Test series and Rohit’s captaincy came under scrutiny.
He was extremely poor with the bat in all the matches against New Zealand as well as the previous two-match Test series against Bangladesh. His poor form continued in the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy despite a change in batting position and he was eventually left out of the playing XI for the fifth and final Test match of the series at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
This was the first time in the history of Indian cricket that a captain was dropped from the playing XI due to his poor form. At the toss, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah said that Rohit had decided to ‘take a break’ from the game.
Reportedly, Rohit took the decision to sit out the game after discussions with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar.
Rohit Sharma is not part of the coach’s plan in Test cricket
The fourth Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was most likely Rohit Sharma’s last Test appearance, according to the Indian Express.
The Indian selection committee has reportedly informed Rohit that he is no longer in the cards for Test cricket.
“The Indian Express understands that Rohit Sharma is not part of the selectors’ plan after the Australian tour when it comes to red-ball cricket and this has already been communicated to him ahead of the Sydney Test,” the report said.
Just like Rohit, Virat Kohli has been going through a bad spell and the selection committee will discuss his future with him after the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, another senior player, Ravindra Jadeja, is set to continue being part of the Test squad as the selectors continue to see value in him.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma is likely to be ignored in Test cricket even if India somehow qualify for the ICC Test World Cup final. Also, a decision on his ODI captaincy will be taken soon.
The Melbourne Test will be the last match between Rohit Sharma and Sunil Gavaskar
Speaking to a television host, legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar said Rohit Sharma’s performance in the Melbourne Test was his last in red-ball cricket if India failed to reach the WTC final.
“I think that probably means that (if) India don’t qualify for the WTC final, the Melbourne Test will be Rohit Sharma’s last game. The (next) WTC cycle will start with a series in England, and the selectors would probably want someone available for the 2027 final.
“Whether India make it there or not is another matter, but that’s what the selection committee is likely to do. We’ve probably seen the last of Rohit Sharma in Test cricket,” Gavaskar said.
