Speculations are rife that Rohit has already played his last Test match in Melbourne.
Rohit, who was under scrutiny for his string of low scores in the last five months, took the English bowling attack to the cleaners at the Barabati Stadium.
Chasing 305 to win, the right-handed opener slammed 119 off 90 balls with 12 boundaries and 7 sixes, helping India get over the line with four wickets in hand and 33 deliveries to spare.
As a captain too, Rohit was tactically on point as the Men in Blue swept the series 3-0, sending a warning to defending champions Pakistan and other teams ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
However, Rohit Sharma’s brilliance in ODIs is unlikely to revive his Test career. According to a PTI report, Rohit’s days as a Test cricketer are over and senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah will take over as the red-ball captain on a full-time basis, starting with the tour of England later this year.
That fact that Bumrah is expected to play a critical role as a leader in the five-Test series in England is also the reason why the BCCI selectors decided against taking the risk of including him for the Champions Trophy, slated to get underway on February 19.
“The key issue appears to be that Bumrah has not yet resumed full-intensity bowling, and experts believe it would be challenging for him to get match-fit in such a brief period.”
“Instead, he could make his comeback with Mumbai Indians in the IPL and then lead India in England, as Rohit Sharma is unlikely to be selected for Tests again,” the PTI report stated.
Bumrah had led India to a historic 295-run victory in the first BGT Test against Australia at Perth last November. Rohit had missed the game due to paternity leave, and he returned to lead the side in the next three Tests at Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne.
After scoring just 31 runs across five outings at an average of 6.20, Rohit opted out of the fifth Test in Sydney, with Bumrah taking over the reins once again. The ace pacer, however, missed a majority of the BGT finale due to a back spasm that prevented him from bowling during Australia’s second innings as the hosts ended up winning the series 3-1.
While many had believed the Melbourne Test to be Rohit’s last in whites, he later said during an interview with the broadcasters at the Sydney Cricket Ground that he was not done with the traditional format just yet.
Before the Australia tour debacle, Rohit Sharma and his men had suffered a 0-3 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in home conditions. Rohit had hardly contributed with the bat in that series as well, hitting just one half-century across three Tests.