Much has been said about Rohit Sharma’s international future after his omission from the fifth Test against Australia. Sarah Waris tries to answer all the nagging questions about his future, including the big one - Should he play in the Champions Trophy?
Wait, there are discussions on Rohit's ODI future?
Yes, after he became the first India skipper to be dropped mid-series, albeit in Test cricket. His “opting out”, or “stepping down” as he would later say, from the Sydney Test following a poor run as both batter and captain led to Jasprit Bumrah taking over as leader.
Though India lost the match, the unprecedented move has started conversations about his place in India’s Champions Trophy team and how he would combine to work again with head coach Gautam Gambhir, who, reportedly, played a role in his not playing the Test following a fiery press conference, where he emphasised on the importance of having “honest people” in the team following various “leaks” about the dressing room.
What is Rohit Sharma’s form like?
Rohit, who retired from T20Is following India’s win in June has played 11 international matches since then, including eight Tests. He has had a poor run with the bat in the longer format, averaging 10.93 with just one fifty, against New Zealand. On the current tour of Australia, he averaged 6.20 in five innings, making just 31 runs and never crossing 10. But, how does his Test form come into the scene for the Champions Trophy? It doesn’t.
Rohit has played three ODIs against Sri Lanka, scoring two fifties and making 157 runs. His strike rate, however, was what stood out. Having reinvented his white-ball game for the ODI World Cup in 2023 to bat more aggressively and lay down a foundation in the powerplay overs, Rohit struck at 141.44 against Sri Lanka, facing 111 balls in the series.
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It carried forward his form from the World Cup, where Rohit had made 597 runs at a strike rate of 126 in India’s run to the final. His ODI knocks since 2022, however, have an interesting pattern: Rohit has faced more than 50 balls just 10 times in 37 innings, and more than 100 just once.
While he focuses on batting selflessly, the big scores, one that made him a white-ball legend, have evaporated. He has 14 fifties but just two hundreds, which could be down to fitness and age where the realisation that he cannot play out balls anymore, has led to a complete overhaul of his approach. Often, he has dropped anchor on tough wickets as well, like the one against England in Lucknow, but it has not been the norm. But, what happens when his reflexes start slowing down and the strokes are no longer timed perfectly?
Sanjay Manjrekar recently quipped that the signs of Rohit “losing shape” were first witnessed during his T20I hundred against Afghanistan, an issue that is not limited to one format alone. He has been slow with his footwork of late, his defensive game has been questioned and he is no longer a threatening big-hitter. Six months have passed since Rohit last played an ODI, but his Test batting issues were not just limited to being out of form - he looked out of touch too. So, where does that leave Rohit the ODI batter?
Why not use the Champions Trophy to gauge?
It will depend on how the Indian selectors view the tournament. Two years before the next World Cup, should it be viewed as the last destination for the senior players as they bid to win a 50-over ICC trophy? Or should it be a platform for experimentation as teams look forward to the World Cup? The management's level of clarity on this could decide whether or not Rohit plays the Champions Trophy.
Rohit will be 40 by the 2027 ODI World Cup - since the start of 2000, only two players from full-member countries have played in the competition after 40 - Imran Tahir and Misbah-ul-Haq. That’s how tough it is. With Rohit’s fitness not at its peak either, let’s assume another World Cup appearance is out of the way.
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What purpose will the Champions Trophy serve then? Even if Rohit is at his brilliant best in the event, he will hang up his boots sooner than later, leaving India with a new captain but with a limited number of games to play heading into the World Cup. A new skipper comes with his own ideas and should be given ample opportunities to succeed and fail, so by the time the World Cup comes knocking, he has well-set plans to go. If it is decided that Rohit be given another opportunity to finish on a high, so be it, but India need to determine whether the move has any long-term implications besides giving a white-ball legend a respectful exit.
But what about Virat Kohli and also Mohammed Shami - both unlikely to play in the 2027 World Cup?
Their cases are different to Rohit Sharma, who is also India’s captain, and it is time we stop clubbing together all senior players under one bracket. Shami has not played for India since November 2023 despite turning out regularly for Bengal in domestic cricket of late. His fitness is still a concern even as reports circulate around his availability for the Champions Trophy. Shami, who is 34 currently, is also not the fittest around, so why is there a discussion over his comeback?
It seems a more short-term option for India, also dealing with the injury to their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Mohammed Siraj’s form and his workload have also been much talked about, and, if fit, India would bring him on in a jiffy. The goal will still be to win the tournament and Shami will add experience to the line-up, undoubtedly.
Kohli’s Test form is under scanner, though his ODI numbers are still sensational. He averages 65.22 in the last two years, with six hundreds in 27 innings along with eight fifties. Kohli was out edging a ball outside the off side all eight times in Australia but with these kinds of dismissals fewer in ODIs due to different field placings, it should not be a persistent issue.
Kohli’s spin game has declined but his downfall has not been as steep as Rohit’s. Kohli will be 38 by the next World Cup but his fitness is second to none. Both Shami and Kohli aren’t the captain either, so there will still be an opportunity to drop them in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup (if they are in contention).
How does captaincy hinder the decision?
Simply, because it is not ideal to change captains before a big event. A captain should ideally have a complete cycle with the chosen squad. It's better than a new leader stepping in shortly before a World Cup. Teams need to plan and prepare well in advance - often months or even years. When a captain leaves mid-cycle, it creates uncertainty, particularly if the new captain has a different style.
A case in point is Eoin Morgan, who took over from Alastair Cook two months before the 2015 World Cup. A leader with new sets of ideas, he was unable to change much in the edition as England suffered a first-round exit. England went on to claim the title in 2019 but it could have been much different four years earlier too had he been given the reigns much before.
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