Melbourne: The number of runs Rohit Sharma has scored in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) so far is one more than the number of wickets (30) Jasprit Bumrah has picked since landing in Australia last month. Three Tests, five innings, 31 runs. That’s all Rohit has managed in the ongoing series, and barely has he managed to take his runs tally ahead of Bumrah’s 30 wickets.
While the statistic is good for the laughs and social media memes, on a serious note it is a sorry reflection of Rohit the batter. Not that he has come across as a tactically sound and proactive Test captain, but the extended lean patch has clearly and further deteriorated his decision-making.
Rain saved India in Brisbane but proper five days of Test cricket at the MCG has served another stern reminder of why the Indian captain’s time is up in the whites. While there are murmurs of conversations with BCCI top brass and selectors over retirement, it’s understood that Rohit has already made up his mind.
When and where the announcement happens is anybody’s guess but it’s highly unlikely that the Indian captain will continue after the BGT. Rohit would undoubtedly like to convince selectors to allow him to stay for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, should India pull off a miracle and make it there. However, if they don’t, Sydney is destined to be Rohit’s last dance.
That bit is absolutely clear and selectors are already in the know of what’s approaching. However, the bigger question at this stage is not about retirement but whether Rohit deserves to be in the Playing XI at all?
The runs aren’t coming. Even after a decent series vs England at home, the Test average in 2024 has been in the mid 20s and he has only scored two centuries and two half-centuries in the 14 Tests he has played.
619 runs in 14 Tests would have pushed any batter out of the setup but Rohit, because of captaincy and reputation, has managed to hang on longer than he should have.
Apart from the lack of runs, the experiments in Melbourne — Rohit at top, KL Rahul at No. 3 and Shubman Gill on the bench — did more harm than good and it’s just delaying the transition and opportunities to the next generation of superstars.
If you play Rohit in Sydney, the same batting order is likely to continue and it would mean Shubman Gill returns home after playing just three innings — two of which had fluent starts. And KL Rahul continues to do something which he hasn’t done often in his career — bat at No.3.
Australia have seen numerous Test retirements in the past but for India, more important than the retirement is the smooth transition. Many moons ago, MS Dhoni, a visionary leader, did just that when he retired midway through the series and handed over the reins to Virat Kohli.
Will Rohit follow suit or wait for the “why nots” to get louder?