(Cricket news) Rohit Sharma has been India’s all-format captain for over 18 months now, but all he has to show for his achievements are a few bilateral series wins and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. For all the experience Rohit possesses of leading Mumbai Indians in the IPL – a side he has won five IPL trophies with, Sharma has not been able to replicate the same for India. But the former Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar is not satisfied with Rohit’s accomplishments for the team as a captain.
He was selected as captain, succeeding Virat Kohli, He had big shoes to fill in, with many backing him to end India’s wait for an ICC trophy. However, one year down the line, that trivia stays changed. Rohit’s India had two opportunities to end the drought – the T20 World Cup last year and the World Test Championship final last month – but on both occasions, the team fell to break the stalemate of the last 10 years.
Besides, that India could not qualify for the Asia Cup final mustn’t be forgotten, losing to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4. In the last year, it is almost as if Indian cricket has taken 10 steps back since Rohit’s appointment as captain.
Fact, he hasn’t had the complete and a fully-fit Indian team at his disposal as Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and more continue to be on the sidelines due to injury, but given the kind of bench strength this team has, Indian team under Rohit has surely underachieved.
Considering Rohit’s tenure as leader, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar intensely feels that the India captain has been disappointed due to several reasons – one of them being the team’s decline in overseas Tests. Under Kohli, Team India became unbeatable, winning the Test series in Australia and going 2-1 up in England before the series decider was postponed to the next year.
But when Rohit got injured and Jasprit Bumrah took over in Edgbaston, India lost the Birmingham Test only for the series to end 2-2. So while India has been next to unbeatable at home – having lost the ODI series to Australia and the series loss in Bangladesh last year being another tough pill to swallow – Rohit’s captaincy prominence has lagged in comparison to Kohli’s, Gavaskar added.
In India it is different, but when you perform overseas that is really the test. “I hoped more from Rohit. That is where he has been a little disappointing. Even in the T20 format, with all the experience of the IPL, hundreds of matches as captain, with a mix of best IPL players not being able to get to the finals has been disappointing,” Gavaskar concluded.
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