Indian cricket icon Yuvraj Singh recently extended his full support to the under-fire Indian team captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir. He praised Gambhir and Rohit’s leadership skills despite Team India’s humiliating loss in the home Test series against New Zealand and the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss to Australia.
Notably, since Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid, India have lost six out of 10 Tests so far, including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade and the ODI series in Sri Lanka after almost three decades.
Yuvraj Singh provides support to Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir
Yuvraj Singh pointed out that his former team-mate Gautam Gambhir has just entered the coaching system, so he deserves more time to settle into his new role and prove his impact.
Reflecting on Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, the two-time World Cup winner highlighted his outstanding results, saying that he led Team India to glory in the T20 World Cup 2024, the ODI World Cup 2023 final and the WTC 2023 final, besides leading Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles.
Yuvraj Singh told reporters during the event as quoted by PTI, “Gautam Gambhir needs to be given more time as he has just come into the system. Rohit won us the T20 World Cup and was also the captain when India reached the final of the ODI World Cup. Mumbai Indians have won 5 IPLs under Rohit’s leadership.”
Yuvraj Singh hails the selfless act of Rohit Sharma who stepped down in the SCG Test
Yuvraj Singh stressed that a couple of disappointing series does not define a captain’s legacy as he defended Rohit Sharma’s captaincy amid heavy criticism. However, the former India all-rounder admitted that India’s 3-0 loss to New Zealand in the home Test series was even harder to swallow.
The former India all-rounder also hailed Rohit’s selfless and rare act of opting out of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy final Test due to his poor form and giving someone else a chance to prove himself against Australia. He questioned the critics as to how many Indian captains have done the same.
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Yuvraj Singh signed off saying, “Rohit stepped down in the last Test (of the BGT) to give someone else a chance. How many captains have done that in the past? I look at what he has done in the last 3-5 years; one tournament cannot decide. For me, the series loss at home was more disappointing, as India losing 3-0 to New Zealand was tougher.”
VIDEO | Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) supports captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam. He says, “If India win, it’s good, but if they lose, we criticize them. I see the last five years of Rohit Sharma… Gautam Gambhir should be given more time. Rohit won us over… pic.twitter.com/9NDmczEFTR
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 16, 2025
Rohit Sharma’s Decline in Test Cricket
After India’s triumph in the T20 World Cup last year, Rohit Sharma has suffered both as a batsman and captain of India. In the 2024/25 Test season, the Indian opener amassed just 164 runs in eight matches and 15 innings, at a lowly average of 10.93, and his highest score was just 52.
It was also a tough year for Rohit as captain, as India lost six Tests, including four at home. He now has just 12 wins, 9 losses and 3 draws as India’s Test captain. He is currently preparing for the three-match ODI series against England at home, followed by the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
