India will tour England for five Tests in June this year.
As vociferous as Sourav Ganguly is about Rohit Sharma's white-ball abilities as captain and batsman, the former BCCI chief captain is concerned about the Indian captain's red-ball performance.
With India having previously undergone a disastrous tour Down Under, which resulted in them missing the World Test Championship final, Ganguly has advised Rohit to think deeply and hard ahead of another tough five-Test series in England beginning in June.
Sourav Ganguly is dissatisfied with India's recent slide in Test cricket, citing the team's red-ball form as a cause for concern following a bad season. Over five months, India played ten Tests against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia, winning only three.
Under Rohit Sharma, India defeated Bangladesh 2-0 before being humiliated at home by New Zealand. After winning the series opener in Perth, India lost the five-match series 1-3, ceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in ten years.
"What has surprised me is his form in red ball over the last 4-5 years. A player of his stature and ability, he can do much better than what he has done. He must put on his thinking cap because we have 5 Tests against England and that's going to be another hard series. Just like the way it was in Australia. It's going to seam; it's going to swing. India needs him to perform in the red ball but in a white ball, he is one of the greatest ever," Ganguly told RevSportz.
Ganguly, who reinvented Indian cricket as captain, wants to see the same ruthlessness return to the Indian squad. The type that existed while he was in command, or when Virat Kohli led India to global triumph.
With reports emerging that Rohit will continue as India's Test captain for the trip to England, it's clear that the skipper isn't giving up playing in whites just yet. Ganguly wants Rohit to make atonement before it's too late.
"Leadership is very important. I have always said that Rohit Sharma is a fabulous captain. Because that's what I see, that's what I notice when he is captaining India. I've seen him captain the Mumbai Indians. I have captained India for so many matches so I can see the traits in a captain," Ganguly added.
"I'm not surprised that he's taken the side to greater heights in white ball. I don't know whether he's going to continue playing Test cricket but if he is hearing me, he should take the responsibility of turning things around in red-ball. India is not good at red-ball at the moment and they need to look at it, and find a way to play well in England because that's going to be a very important five-Test series. Rohit has to find a way to get this team going,” Ganguly concluded.
The India tour of England of five Tests will begin on June 20 at Leeds and will end with the fifth Test starting at the Oval on July 31.