Amid growing discussions over India’s Test captaincy, Rohit Sharma has made a strong statement regarding leadership. Speaking to Star Sports, the Indian captain emphasized the importance of earning the captaincy through hard work.
“It is difficult to say who is capable of captaining India in Test cricket. There are many players, but I want them to understand the importance of this place. Let them earn the captaincy. Let them fight for this. Like me, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Bumrah, we earned the captaincy, and nobody got it on the plate. So, let them fight for it and earn this,” Rohit said.
Criticism After Poor Form Against Australia
Rohit’s comments come at a time when his place in the Test side is being questioned. The 37-year-old struggled in the recent five-match Test series against Australia, scoring just 31 runs in five innings. His poor form in a series that had a World Test Championship (WTC) final spot on the line led to criticism from fans and former players alike.
Many questioned whether Rohit’s time in Test cricket was nearing an end, especially after he opted out of the fifth Test in Sydney. However, the Mumbai batter dismissed retirement rumours, reaffirming his desire to continue playing red-ball cricket.
Dinesh Lad’s Advice for Rohit
Rohit’s childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, believes the veteran batter should play a few domestic games to regain his form. Lad, who has closely followed Rohit’s career, emphasized that his focus remains on two key goals.
“I think Rohit has only two goals: first, to win the World Test Championship and second, to win the ODI World Cup. If he wanted, he would have retired from all formats after the T20 World Cup title, but he only retired from T20 cricket,” Lad told IANS.
He also pointed out how modern cricket’s focus on T20 has impacted players’ techniques. “Because of T20 cricket, the mindset of batters has changed. He is a technically sound cricketer, and against England last year, he was scoring good runs. If we win, people call Rohit the best captain, but when we lose, people say he doesn’t know captaincy,” Lad added.
India’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive WTC final has intensified scrutiny on Rohit’s leadership. The team will next play a red-ball series against England starting on June 20 in Leeds. Whether Rohit can retain his place in the side remains to be seen, especially after managing only 122 runs in his last six Tests.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram and Instagram
