New Test Captain for India after ICC WTC Final, Rohit Sharma to face acid test: It’s been just over a year since Rohit Sharma assumed the charge of all three formats of the Indian cricket team, however, things have started to fall apart as the Indian captain might face an acid test in the coming few weeks. The upcoming week is going to be huge for Sharma as his side faces Australia in the ICC WTC Final.
While it may seem pointless, Rohit Sharma is yet to prove a point with his captaincy. His individual batting records in international cricket, especially in the limited-overs, are second to none, however, his captaincy hasn’t borne any strong fruit yet.
Rohit Sharma has led India in just 6 test matches so far and mostly the results have been favourable. While in the first series, Rohit Sharma-led India swept Bangladesh 2-0, the second series against Australia resulted in a 2-1 victory. So, Rohit Sharma’s portfolio of test captaincy is quite manageable so far.
However, what concerns the management is his fitness. Rohit has missed 8 test matches in the last two years due to injuries. With a new ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle lined ahead, it will be imperative for the BCCI to check the fitness standards.
Moreover, Rohit Sharma is already 36 years old and his age will play a part too. Being on the wrong side of the 30s, there might be discussions on his retirement too, which, as of now, is unlikely to happen looking at how the Indian captain is enjoying test cricket.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), meanwhile, is in no hurry to appoint a new test skipper or make progress on that front. The board seems to be happy with Rohit Sharma’s leadership which has been hailed by many experts.
“There is absolutely no hurry in finding a Test captain. Rohit is fit and fine. Whatever the outcome of WTC is, he will remain India’s captain in Tests. But yes, we are still unsure how long he will continue playing Test. We have not had a discussion regarding that. But sometime after World Cup, we will have discussions with Rohit,” told a senior BCCI official.
It is noteworthy that under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, India lost the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup in 2022. The 20-over World Cup loss is deemed huge as there was a golden opportunity for the Indians to bag an ICC title after a long hiatus of 9 years.
With ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 lined ahead, Rohit Sharma is unlikely to be disturbed with the captaincy roles. The board, too, would not want to make extreme changes to the side.
However, BCCI will always be in search of a suitable player with the calibre to lead the massive Indian side in Test and ODI cricket after Rohit Sharma steps down. BCCI has already picked up Hardik Pandya as a worthy successor of Rohit Sharma in T20Is. Although Hardik hasn’t been officially named the full-time leader of the Indian T20I side, the experts believe India’s future lies with Hardik Pandya.
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For more details head to ICC’s official website.
