Greater Noida (Staff Correspondent): Ever since their historic victory in Perth during the first Test under Jasprit Bumrah’s leadership, the Indian cricket team has found it difficult to gain dominance, even though they are level with Australia after three Test matches in the current 2024–2024-25 Trophy. India had to fight to avoid the follow-on at Adelaide; however, as their batting problems continued from where they started, ever since Rohit Sharma joined them for the second Test. It appears that is also the pattern of the Melbourne Test currently underway.
Rohit has not been able to get into form in the Test series, having had a superb batting run in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup earlier this year. His scores of 3, 6, 10, and 3 in four innings thus far have started the discussion about whether it is time for him to retire from international cricket or, as the adage goes, quit the game before it abandons him.
Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar did not refrain from commenting on the form of Rohit. Speaking on air with broadcasters 7 Cricket, Gavaskar opined that Rohit’s current losing streak might lead to questioning his very place in the side if he does not contribute to the innings when his side plays in Sydney. He maintained that unless Rohit does the needful in the Test in Sydney, there is little scope for not taking the grave decisions about his Test career.
Rohit has had a terrible Test record since the last year, scoring as low as 155 runs, averaging 11.07, in eight games. As such, critics argue that this is not the time Rohit can benefit from this change of opening combination; he is under extreme pressure to score runs now, as the World Test Championship is on the line.
Will Rohit wait for the big call at the end of the series or retire himself before the Sydney Test?
It is believed that the Test career of Rohit would be over in the Sydney Test as India stands at risk of missing out on the World Test Championship final. KL Rahul, who has found form, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is a talented youngster, could be reportedly preferred by the team management to open for India in the Sydney Test. Leaving Rohit behind to pave the way for youngsters has been supported by Indian cricket.
Rohit was tried as a middle-order batsman earlier in the series, but after just three innings, the decision was swiftly changed. Shubman Gill was dropped to make a place for Rohit as an opener, but the move hasn’t worked out. His pull shots, which were once a defining feature of his batting, have apparently abandoned him, raising more questions about whether he will be able to recover in the longer format.
