India captain Rohit Sharma was at the forefront as he bore the brunt of criticism as his team lost the fourth Test of the BGT 2024 series in Melbourne. India’s chances of qualifying for the WTC 2025 final are now out of their hands and they do need to win the final Test in Sydney to keep hopes alive.
Rohit Sharma, who missed the first Test In Perth, batted at no. 6 in the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests. But his contribution to the team’s score was negligent.
In Melbourne, Rohit returned to the top of the order, but India omitted Shubman Gill from the XI, which surprised many experts and fans. India selected three all-rounders for their XI but were unable to preserve the Test match.
Reacting to Rohit Sharma’s decision to open the innings in MCG, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has stated that Rohit Sharma, for the first time in his captaincy career, prioritized himself over the best interests of the Indian team.
"For the first time in his career, he has taken a call for himself. In the past, calls have been taken for him. MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli took calls for him to move him from middle-order to opener. Dhoni did in ODIs, Virat did in Tests because they wanted Rohit to fire," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube show.
"For the first time, captain Rohit took a call and it was totally in his interests. It was not in the team's interests. Let's be very honest. It can't be in the team's interests because Rahul was opening very well. Shubman Gill did well in 2023, he is the second-highest run-scorer. He has played in tough situations also. He was looking good in Adelaide too. But, he had to be dropped from the team.
All this is because Rohit thought about himself, not in the best interests of the team. For the first time in his captaincy career. It didn't turn out fine. India were not able to draw," he added.
Chopra suggested Rohit Sharma should drop himself from the Sydney Test to allow Shubman Gill to regain his place at No. 3. Chopra stressed that, while retirement is a personal decision, selectors can drop a player, even the captain, due to bad performance.
"In the team's interest, will he sit out of the Sydney Test? I am not saying retirement, but dropping himself for the Sydney Test, saying 'I am not able to contribute. Okay, let Rahul open the batting, let Shubman Gill bat at No. 3, and let's play Nitish at No. 6'. It will be a fair call to take. But, will he take it? If he doesn't take it, I will tell you why cricketers don't take such calls. Every cricketer believes, the entire life must have taught him/her one thing: we can bounce back. We can turn it around. Maybe Rohit Sharma is thinking like that," he added.
"Will the selectors take that call mid-tour? Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar, guys, you are on the spot this time," he added.
Post the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, Rohit Sharma’s batting has degraded very quickly. He has become a walking wicket, managing just 164 runs in eight Tests at an average of 10.
